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THE 
VALUE OF CHEERFULNESS 



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THE/ 

VALUE of^ 

CHEERFULNESS 



Edited bi 

M ol r y Ma^6 sl r r o w s 



T- 



Introduction by 

Ellat Wheeler Wilcox 



H. M. CALDWELL CO. 
BOSTON ^ MCMIV 



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LIBROi'V «f t50fiJeRESS 

TWO Ooetes f<wfltved 
SEP 23 1904 
^(iooyrfeht Entry 

OLASS ^ XXo. Na 

COPY B 



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Copyright^ igo^ 
By H. M. Caldwell Co. 




COLONIAL PRESS 

Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds &= Co. 

Boston,- Mass., U.S.A. 



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INTRODUCTION 



Those enlightened Intelligences who watch 
over the struggling human race must hold in 
higher regard the man who makes his brothers 
smile with hope than the one who merely arouses 
admiration for loersonal achievements. 

It is a nohler act to give a fellow mortal food 
for courage to pursue his journey than hy some 
literary acrobatic feat to arrest his startled 
attention. 

I would rather compile a booh of optimism 
than to create a masterpiece of pessimism. 
Om day I read a little story, written by a great 
literary artist of France, — a man who has 
since died of melancholia, pursued by the de- 
mons of his own creation. It was a wonder- 
fully constructed piece of work — the v)ork of 
a master-hand ; yet so dspresshig, so despairing 
was its tone, that now, after the passage of 

V 




INTRODUCTION 

years, I cannot think of it without a falling 
of the spiritual mercury and a sense of dis- 
couragement, as subtle as it is uncontrollable. 

It is a prostitution of talent to send forth 
such " Works of art" 

' No man, however skilled with sword or gun, 
has a right to stand upon a public highivay 
flourishing firearms and swords^ and calling 
out to his felloiu travellers that danger, destruc- 
tion, and death await them if they proceed. 

No man, however skilled with the pen or 
tongue, has a right to preach despondency, and 
gloom, and discouragement, and failure to a 
toiling, striving world. There is much in life 
to cause depression and discouragement if we 
do not bring to bear upon circumstances all the 
hidden powers of the soul. 

He who helps mankind to develop those 
powers and to use them is a benefactor to hu/- 
manity ; he is worthy of being called great, 
though he creates nothing but hope in other 
souls. The greatness which is merely the power 
to destroy ideals is not the enduring greatness. 

The bird that constructs its beautiful nest 
with natures materials is greater than the 



INTRODUCTION 

wanton hand that destroys it, though less 
jpovjerful. 

He who compiles a hook of helpful philosophy 
out of the material provided hy other minds 
does the world a greater service than he who 
creates an epic of despair. 

The old gloomy creeds, full of vengeance and 
cruelty, are being relegated to the hack attic of 
the past. New wholesome creeds of love and 
kindness are taking their places. 

With the old creeds, the old, despondent liter- 
ature must go, — the hooks vjhich leave their 
readers with hroken ideals, lower estimates of 
humanity, and lessened courage for the hattles 
of life. 

In their places we must have the hooks which 
arouse amhition, stimulate hope, and renew 
courage. 

" The Value of Cheerfulness " is such a hook. 
ELLA WHEELER WILCOX. 



w 




I 



THE VALUE 
OF CHEERFULNESS 



In the deepest night of trouble and sorrow 
God gives us so much to be thankful for that we 
need never cease our singing. With all our wis- 
dom and foresight we can take a lesson in glad- 
ness and gratitude from the happy bird that 
sings all night, as if the day were not long 
enough to tell its joy. 

Samuel T. Coleridge, 



The inner side of every cloud 

Is bright and shining; 
I therefore turn my clouds about 
And always wear them inside out — 
To show the lining! 

Mnon. 
^ ^ j& 

Cheerfulness is always a welcome visitor, and 
such a health-giving one, too. Let the spirit of 



t 



f-i 



THE VALUE OF 

good cheer dive beneath the surface, however, 
and show itself in real active kindness as well 
as smiles and good works. 

Frederic W. Burry, 



I have found 'tis good to note 
The blessing that is mine each day; 

For happiness is vainly sought 
In some dim future far away. 

Amelia B, Barr, 

^ ^ JE^ 

No one can cherish an ideal, and devote himself 
to its realization from year to year, and strive and 
struggle and make sacrifices for its attainment, 
without undergoing a certain gracious transfor- 
mation, of which the highest powers must be 
aware, and which men can hardly miss. 

John White Chadwick. 
J^ ^ ^ 

Strew gladness on the paths of men; 
You will not pass this way again! 

Jinon, 



There is but one happiness — that is Duty. 
There is but one consolation — that is Work. 
There is but one delight — the Beautiful. 

Carmen Syioa, 




CHEERFULNESS 

It is dangerous to live a pent-up, shut-in life; 

and, without neglecting the home circle, they 

who are not forced by circumstances to confine 

their social life altogether to their home should 

see much of other people. It is a mistake which 

tends to narrowness to allow oneself to become 

too busy with his own affairs and his own home 

to get any of that kind of growth which the 

sunshine of social life alone promotes. 

Mnon. 
^ ^ <^ 

The lover of nature has retained the spirit of in- 
fancy into the era of manhood. ... In the pres- 
ence of nature a wild delight runs through the 
man, in spite of real sorrow. 

Emerson^ 
j0^ ^ ^ 

It was just a flitting bird's wing 
Cast the shadow in my room; 

While across my spirit drifted 
A vision touched with gloom. 

And a single dying discord 
Spoiled the symphony for you 

Amongst a thousand other notes 
All sweet and rich and true. 

But sunlight floods the heavens 
Behind the tiny wing; 
3 



THE VALUE OF 

And the symphony can bear you 
, Far above the broken string. 

Mary Minerva BarrowM, 

^e^ 4^ «^ 

*Twas only a kiss and a bunch of flow'rs. 

But they came in a sunny way, 
Like balm to the wound in a homesick heart, 

At the close of a weary day. 

'Twas only the clasp of a friendly hand. 
And the glance of a kindly light. 

They banished the thought of a sorrowful day, 
And they brightened a pain-spent night. 

There's never the clasp of a friendly hand. 
Not a smile, nor a word of cheer. 

Not a kiss, nor a flow'r in His dear name giv'n 
Will be lost when the harvest's here. 

Christian Itegister, 
4^ J£^ JE^ 

There is a proverb which talks about being 
merry and wise. There are some people who can 
be merry and can't be wise, and some who can 
be wise (or think they can) and can't be merry. 
I'm one of the first sort. If the proverb is a 
good 'un, I suppose it's better to keep to half of 
it than none; at all events, I'd rather be merry 
and not wise, than neither one nor t'other. 

DccArens. 
4 



m 



CHEERFULNESS 

He holds the key to all unknown. 

And I am glad; 
If other hands should hold the key. 
Or if he trusted it to me, 

I might be sad. 

What if to-morrow's cares were here, 

Without its rest? 
I'd rather He unlocked the day. 
And, as its hours swung open, say: 
" My will is best." 

I cannot read his future plans. 

But this I know; 
I have the smiling of his face 
And all the refuge of his grace 
While here below. 

Enough! This covers all my needs, 

And so I rest. 
For what I cannot he can see. 
And in his love I e'er shall be 

For ever blest. 

M. D. Babcock, D. 



The bird that to the evening sings 

Leaves music when her song is ended 

A sweetness left, which takes not wings. 
But with each pulse of eve is blended. 
5 




THE VALUE OF 

Thus life involves a double light, 

Our acts and words have many brothers; 

The heart that makes its own delight 
Makes also a delight for others. 

Charles Swain. 



Outward things are not in my power; to will 
is in my power. Where shall I seek the good, 
and where the evil? Within me, — in all that 
is my own. 

If God had committed some orphan child to 
thee, wouldst thou have neglected it? Now he 
hath given thee to thyself, and saith: "I had 
none other more worthy of trust than thee; keep 
this man such as he was made by nature, —r 
reverent, faithful, high, unterrified, unshaken of 
passions, untroubled." 

Epictetus, 



Only a smile from a kindly face. 

On the busy street that day! 
Forgotten as soon as given, perhaps. 

As the donor went her way. 
But straight to my heart it went speeding. 

To gild the clouds that were there. 
And I found that of sunshine and life's blue skies, 

I also might take my share. 

George MacDonald, 
6 



CHEERFULNESS 

How welcome would it often be, to many a 
child of anxiety and toil, to be suddenly trans- 
ferred from the heat and din of the city, the rest- 
lessness and worry of the mart, to the midnight 
garden or the mountain top! And like refresh- 
ment does a high faith, with its infinite prospects 
ever open to the heart, afford to the worn and 
weary. No laborious travels are needed for the 
devout mind, for it carries within it Alpine 
heights and starlit skies, which it may reach with 
a moment's thought and feel at once the loneli- 
ness of nature and the magnificence of God. 

James Martineau, 



Most of the shadows of this life are caused by 
standing in our own sunshine. 

Etnerson, 



Think every morning when the sun peeps through 

The dim, leaf-latticed windows of the grove, 
How jubilant the happy birds renew 

Their old, melodious madrigals of love! 
And when you think of this, remember, too, 

'Tis always morning somewhere, and above 
The awakening continents, from shore to shore 

Somewhere the birds are singing evermore. 

Henry W. Longfellow. 

7 



THE VALUE OF 

Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how; 
Everything is happy now, 

Everything is upward striving; 
*Tis as easy now for the heart to be true 
As for grass to be green or skies to be blue. 
James Jtussell Lowell, 



Learn patience from the lesson, — 
Tho' the night be drear and long, 

To the darkest sorrow there comes a morrow, 
A right to every wrong. 

J. T. Trowbridge. 
J^ J^ ^ 

Just to be happy — 'tis a fine thing to do, 
To look on the bright side rather than the blue. 
Sad or sunny musing, is largely to the choosing, 
And just being happy is brave work, and true. 
Just being happy, — helps other souls along, — 
Their burdens may be heavy, and they not 

strong ; 
Your own sky will lighten, if other skies you 

brighten 
With a heart full of song. 

R. D, Saunders, 



Why do we cling to the skirts of sorrow, 
Why do we cloud with care the brow? 

8 



CHEERFULNESS 

Why do we wait for a glad to-morrow, — 
Why not gladden the precious Now? 

Eden is yours! Would you dwell within it? 
Change men's grief to a gracious smile, 

And thus have heaven here this minute 
And not far-off in the afterwhile. 

Find the soul's high place of beauty, 

Not in a man-made book of creeds, 
But where desire ennobles duty 

And life is full of your kindly deeds. 
The bliss is yours! Would you fain begin it? 

Pave with love each golden mile, 
And thus have heaven here this minute 

And not far-off in the afterwhile. 

Nixon Waterman: *' When to Be Happy." 



Pessimists are always in the rear, and never in 
the van in the march of progress. Your success- 
ful men and women are never chronic grum- 
blers. 

Bishop Samuel Fallows, 



Let me but live my life from year to year. 
With forward face and unreluctant soul, 
Not hastening to, nor turning from the goal. 
Not mourning for the things that disappear 
In the dim past, nor holding back in fear 

9 



THE VALUE OF 

From what the future veils, but with a whole 
And happy heart, that pays its willing toll 
To Youth and Age, and travels on with cheer. 

So let the way wind up the hill or down, 
Though rough or smooth, the journey will be 

joy; 
Still seeking what I sought when but a boy, 
New friendship, high adventure, and a crown, 
I shall grow old, but never lose life's zest. 
Because the road's last turn will be the best. 

^non. 



Better to weave in the web of life 

A bright and golden filling. 
And to do God's will with a ready heart, 

And hands that are swift and willing. 
Than to snap the slender, delicate threads 

Of our curious life asunder, 
And then blame heaven for the tangled ends 

And sit and grieve and wonder, 

Jinon, 



THE CONTENTED HEART 

A blush steals o'er the orchard, 
A laugh leaps from the brook, 

A finch trills in the elm-tree 
With a triumphant look. 



CHEERFULNESS 

I loiter 'neath those blossoms, 

I linger by the stream. 
My buoyant heart unwilling 

To leave so fair a dream. 

But when that bloom is faded, 
And though the brook run dry, 

Summer shall toss me clover, 
Daisy, and butterfly! 

And when the pageant's ended 
And winter skies are gray. 

My heart shall dream of summer. 
My soul shall sing of May! 

Mary Minerva Barrows, 



THE WORDS THAT CHEER 

Are you ever discouraged, O fellow man? 

Do you ever feel puny and poor and small? 
Do you ever, while doing the best you can, 

Get to wondering what is the use of it all? 
Oh, isn't it pleasant in such an hour 

To be met by one who has cheerful ways. 
Who approves of your work and admires your 
power. 

Oh, isn't it bracing to hear his praise? 

Does doubt ever lodge in your heart, O friend? 
Doubt of your worth and doubt of your wit? 
II 



THE VALUE OF 

Does it ever appear that you've come to the end? 

Do you feel sometimes a longing to quit, 
To give up the hope, to accept defeat, 

To sink into rest and pass out of sight? 
In such a dark hour, oh, isn't it sweet 

To be praised for your worth, your work or 
might? 

Perhaps you met some one a moment ago 

Who felt, O friend, as you often do. 
Who, had you paused a fair word to bestow. 

Would have gained new strength and new 
courage, too. , 

The words of cheer and the words of praise 

That cost so little may have such worth; 
Oh, I wonder why, in our selfish ways. 

We let each other be crushed to earth. 

S. E. Kiser. 



SHE WAS ALWAYS PLEASANT 

To the common, every-day woman, who feels as 
if she was a nothing in this world, who thinks 
she has no influence, I will tell you of one thing 
that will bring blue skies in your own life and 
will make you a shining light in your community. 

In one of the country towns in Northampton- 
shire, England, there is a graveyard, and on a 
small stone there is this inscription, after the 



CHEERFULNESS 

name and date : . " She was always pleasant." 
She had not been rich — the stone was small. 
The grave is in a retired part of the graveyard, so 
she could not have been in society, or a promi- 
nent woman, but " She was always pleasant." 

^non. 



I wish — that Sympathy and Love, 

And every human passion 
That has its origin above, 

Would come and keep in fashion; 
That Scorn and Jealousy and Hate, 

And every base emotion. 
Were buried fifty fathoms deep 

Beneath the waves of ocean! 

I wish — that friends were always true. 

And motives always pure; 
I wish the good were not so few, 

I wish the bad were fewer; 
I wish that parsons ne'er forgot 

To heed their pious teaching; 
I wish that practising was not 

So different from preaching! 

I wish — that modest worth might be 
Appraised with truth and candour; 

I wish that innocence were free 
From treachery and slander; 

13 



^Hf 



THE VALUE OF 

I wish that men their vows would mind; 

That women ne'er were rovers; 
I wish that wives were always kind. 

And husbands always lovers! 



l\ 



I wish — in fine — that Joy and Mirth, 

And every good Ideal, 
May come erewhile throughout the earth 

To be the glorious Real; 
Till God shall every creature bless 

With His Supremest blessing. 
And Hope be lost in Happiness, 

And Wishing in Possessing! 

John G. Saxe, 



Cheer! That*s a good word. Don't you like it? 
Cheer! Why, it brings a smile to your lip this 
minute. 

How we all love cheer — a cheery, cheerful 
person. It gives the thought at once of activity, 
bustle, and pleasure. You could not fancy a 
cheerful person being an idle one. Why, bless 
your heart, his or her life is too full of doing 
good — of bringing cheer into a life that needs 
the brightness, 

I have the picture in my mental vision now 
of just such a cheery person. No, I am not going 
to detail it, for you have the mental picture also, 

14 



O 




^IR 





CHEERFULNESS 

and you may be able to make more of it for 
yourself than I could for you. 

The thought I have in mind to give you is 
this — it's not new — but it will do you good to 
hear it once in awhile. Be filled with cheer. Say 
to yourself, " I am cheer, and everybody loves 
me, because I love everybody." And so you do. 
You have not one in all this wide world of whom 
you think unkindly — no, not one! Has some 
one done so and so? Has he? Have you had a 
bitter trial? Well, be of cheer, and mark you, 
a year from now you will say, " Well, that ex- 
perience has made me what I am " — a better man 
— a better woman. Yes, it will. I know. 

Grace Adelaide JQiersted» 



The best way to stop worrying over your own 
troubles, real and imaginary, is to look around 
you and find out how many people are worse 
off than you are — then, maybe, you will feel that 
things are not so bad with you as you thought. 
Constant dwelling on your own troubles tends 
to magnify them, and every time you retail your 
woes they seem more real to you. Stop this 
business of pitying yourself so much — this busi- 
ness of saying: "Ah, poor me!" Get out of 
your sackcloth and ashes, give yourself a good 
scrubbing to get the ashes off you, and burn up 
the sackcloth. Then put on your finest raiment 

15 




THE VALUE OF 

and sail forth like Solomon in all his glory. If 
you can't find anything good in your own case, 
take an interest in some one else's, and thus get 
your mind off your own. 

W. W, Atkinson, 
jE^ £^ j^ 

There are those who acquire the habit of help- 
ing others, of comforting, of adding cheerfulness 
and strength, wherever they go. To those who 
thus give much is given in return, — contentment, 
trust in God, confidence in their fellow men, 
sweet hopes, peaceful memories. 

James Freeman Clarke, 



You say you're feeling blue, lad? 

That things are going wrong? 
If that's the case for true, lad, 

Cheer up and sing a song. 
You'll find 'twill always pay, lad. 

For all — for me and you 
To play we are the sunshine 

And let the sky be blue. 
When skies are blue and clear, lad, 

The world is at its best: 
Whene'er you drop a tear, lad. 

It saddens all the rest. 
Smile on — don't mind the knocks, lad. 

Just keep your own heart true — 
i6 



i 



/ 



CHEERFULNESS 

Play you're the golden sunshine 

And let the sky be blue. 
When you are feeling blue, lad, 

And half inclined to cry, 
You're at the job — 'tis true, lad — 

Intended for the sky. 
The sunshine role sits better 

On husky chaps like you — 
Then be a human sunbeam; 

Let but the sky be blue. 



Mnon, 



Give to your enemy forgiveness. 
Give to your opponent tolerance. 
Give to your friend your heart. 
Give to your child a good example. 
Give to your parents deference. 
Give to everybody sunshine. 

Mnon, 



MUSIC IN MY HEART 

I've music in my heart, dear love. 

And music all day long; 
It doth to me a comfort prove, 

And makes me blest and strong; 
For when at morn you go to work. 

You leave a smile behind, 

17 



if 



THE VALUE OF 

And in that glance a song doth lurk. 
To haunt with joy my mind! 

Oh, little seems the fond good-bye. 

And word that then is said, 
Yet music's in the smiling eye. 

For all the ways I tread; 
And just a kiss beside the door, 

With word of greeting strong, 
Will help the heart of rich or poor. 

And give it angel song! 



In ourselves the sunshine dwells. 
From ourselves the music swells; 
By ourselves our life is fed 
With sweet or bitter bread. 

Afixon Waterman* 



Smile, once in awhile, 

'Twill make your heart seem lighter; 
Smile, once in awhile, 

'Twill make your pathway brighter. 
Life's a mirror, if we smile 

Smiles come back to greet us; 
If we're frowning all the while 

Frowns for ever meet us. 

Nixon Waterman. 
i8 



CHEERFULNESS 

Because she smiled he went away 

Brave-hearted to his work that day; 
His petty cares were all forgot. 
He hurried on with one glad thought, 

His task became joy-giving play. 

He did not know the sky was gray, 

To him the world was bright and gay; 
By splendid hopes his breast was sought, 
Because she smiled. 

She smiled as any woman may 
While letting fancy freely stray; 

She smiled at him, yet saw him not. 

And lo! a miracle was wrought — 
A man was made from hopeless clay 
Because she smiled. 

J". E. ICiser, 
j^ ^& ^ 

To possess character is to be useful, and to be 
useful is to be independent, and to be useful and 
independent is to be happy, even in the midst 
of sorrow; for sorrow is not necessarily un- 
happiness. 

Blla Wheeler Wilcox. f.\ 



/ Talk happiness! 



Not now and then, but every 

Blessed day. 

Even if you don't believe 

19 



THE VALUE OF 



The half of what 

You say; 

There's no room here for him 

Who whines as on his 

Way he goes; 

Remember, son, the world is 

Sad enough without 

Your woes. 

Talk happiness each chance 

You get — and 

Talk it good and strong; 

Look for it in 

The byways as you grimly 

Plod along; 

Perhaps it is a stranger now 

Whose visit never 

Comes; 

But talk it! Soon you'll find 

That you and Happiness 

Are chums. 



They might not need me 
Yet they might — 
I'll let my heart be 
Just in sight. 



Mnon, 



A smile so small 
As mine might be 



CHEERFULNESS 

Precisely their 
Necessity. 



Emily Dickinson, 



J0^ ^ 



It is easy enough to be happy 
When life flows by like a song, 

But the man worth while 

Is the man with a smile, 
When everything goes dead ^rong.^^^^^ ^^^/^^ ^^^^^ 



Did you tackle that trouble that came your way 

With a resolute heart and cheerful? 
Or hide your face from the light of day 

With a craven soul and fearful? 
Oh, a trouble's a ton, or a trouble's an ounce. 

Or a trouble is what you make it. 
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts, 

But only how did you take it. 

M:non, 



If you had asked her about her accomplish- 
ments, she would have told you that she had 
none, and would have been quite sincere in her 
answer. She did not know how to play the 
piano, and she had never tried her hand at water- 



THE VALUE OF 

colours or crayon sketching. She had never 
found time for embroidery. She got off the key 
when she tried to sing. In fact, one might run 
through the list of what are called accomplish- 
ments without naming one at which she was 
expert. 

Yet this sunny-faced, sweet-voiced girl had 
one accomplishment which outweighed all those 
she lacked. Wherever she went gloomy faces 
grew cheerful. Ybu have seen drooping plants 
freshen at the touch of the summer rain — and it 
seemed as if her presence revived drooping 
hearts in very much the same manner. She was 
a happiness-maker. Children stopped fretting 
when she came near. Old people came back 
from dreams of the past and found the present 
sweet. Without being wise or witty or beautiful, 
there was an atmosphere of peace about her like 
the fragrance of a flower. Her smile had the 
comforting warmth of sunshine. The tones of 
her glad young voice stirred the heart like a 
song. 

Jinon. 
^ J^ £^ 

With the sun overhead, your song of praise 

Like the lark to heaven mounts, 
But how will you sing in the rainy days? 

For that is what really counts. 

Langdon Ballinger. 

22 





CHEERFULNESS 

Keep step with the times; keep sympathy with 
young hearts; keep in touch with every new- 
born enterprise of charity, and in line with the 
marchings of God's providence. Ten minutes 
of chat or play with a grandchild may freshen 
you more than an hour spent with an old com- 
panion or over an old book. 

Rev. T. L. Cuyler. 
^& ^S^ j^ 

As there are vast underground rivers in many 
parts of the world, broader and deeper and of 
more majestic sweep than any Mississippi or 
Amazon, streams which men may often tap and 
bring to the surface in ever-flowing artesian wells, 
so there is an undercurrent of happiness in this 
universe, and if we connect our lives with it, 
our joy is perennial; there shall be within us 
then a well of water, springing up not only unto 
everlasting life, but to everlasting happiness. 
This undercurrent of happiness, or, rather, — let 
us give it its nobler name, — of blessedness, is 
God. 

Francis E. Clark, D. D. 



This day will I cast off the coil 
Of aging worry and of toil, 
And seek the soothing soul-caress 
Of Idleness. 

23 



THE VALUE OF 

For sometimes it is well to be 
Both body-free and spirit-free, 
To own no gyve, no cincturing wall, 
No thrall at all. 

The harper wind strides o'er the hill; 
His truant will I make my will; 
Two jovial comrades, forth we hie 
Beneath the sky. 

We loiter; who shall cry us "nay"? 
We hasten; who shall bid us stay? 
By stream or woodland-side we brood, 
As suits our mood. 

And, ah, the golden grain I reap 
From this one long, from this one deep 
Day-dwelling, in the dream-duress 
Of Idleness! 

I slough the husk of discontent, 
And feel no longer hedged and pent; 
I look on all that round me lies 
With saner eyes. 

I gather from the bounteous earth 
A quiet joy, an inner mirth; 
And life, where'er I pass along, 
Seems set to song. 

Clinton Scollard, 

24 



CHEERFULNESS 

My own hope is, a sun will pierce 
The thickest cloud earth ever stretched; 
That, after last, returns the first, 
Though a wide compass round be fetched; 
That what began best, can't end worst. 
Nor what God blessed once, prove accurst. 

tiobert Brownings 



What's de use o' groanin* 

'Cause de clouds is black? 
All yo silly moanin' 

Nevah push 'em back. 
Troubles may be comin', 

Comin' in a heap; 
Jes' yo keep a-hummin'. 

Hum you'se'f to sleep. 

What's de use o' grumblin* 

W'en de groun' is wet? 
T'undah may be rumblin', 

Don' yo' nevah fret. 
Storm'U soon be ovah, 

Flowahs bloomin' fine, 
Crops'll be in clovah, 

W'en de sun does shine. 

What's de use o' shoutin', 
Gettin' sort o' mad? 

25 



THE VALUE OF 



T'ings dat set yo' poutin' 
Makin' othahs glad. 

Wouldn't it be lonely, 
Tell me squar' and true, 

Ef de worl' was only 
Made fur me an' you? 



Mnon, 



Life might be much easier and simpler than 
we make it; the world might be a happier place 
than it is; there is no need of struggles, con- 
vulsions, despairs, of the wringing of hands and 
gnashing of teeth. We miscreate our own evils. 

Emerson, 



Through lanes of the faded heather. 

O'er graves of the withered leaves, 
In the face of the autumn weather, 

From the fields of the absent sheaves, 
I pass to the darkening winter, 

And have not fear nor pain. 
For the life of the world abideth. 

And the spring will come again. 

Dear heart that is growing weary. 

Let not thy faith decay; 
Some days of the year are dreary, 

But the fogs will pass away. 
26 



?▼ 



CHEERFULNESS 

Ever the sun shines somewhere. 

Over the land and sea; 
Be strong in thy faith and courage — 

There are summers yet for thee. 

Marianne Farningham. 



When God shall leave unfinished, incomplete, 

A single flake within the whirl of snow, 
A single feather in the airy wing 

On which the butterfly floats to and fro, 
A single vein within the summer leaf, 

A single drop of water in the sea. 
Then — not before — doubt that his perfect plan 

Within the humblest life fulfilled can be. 

Priscilla Leonard. 
^ J& ^^ 

Honest good humour is the oil and wine of a 
merry meeting, and there is no jovial companion- 
ship equal to that where the jokes are rather 
small and the laughter abundant. 

Washington Irving. 
^S/ jS^ ^ 

Many people in ordinary circumstances are 
millionaires of cheerfulness. They make their 
neighbourhood brighter, happier, and a better 
place to live in by their presence; they raise the 
value of every lot for blocks around them. 
27 



i. 




i^^ 



THE VALUE OF 

The world is beginning to see that people who 
can radiate sunshine and carry gladness and good 
cheer wherever they go, although they may be 
poor, are of infinitely greater value to society 
than the millionaire of money, who pauperizes 
everything he touches, and everybody who comes 
in contact with him, by his close, contemptible 
methods. 

Largeness of heart and generosity of soul make 
millionaires of character who are worth more to 
the world than mere moneyed millionaires. 

The time will come in the progress of the world 
when we shall not have to depend on rich fur- 
nishings, costly tapestries, and gold plate. Char- 
acter will become so enriched in the upward 
growth of the world that the surroundings, how- 
ever costly, will be considered but a cheap setting 
of a precious life-stone. Cheerfulness is a potent 
factor of success. 

^non, 
J0' J^ <^ 

The whole course of things goes to teach us 
faith. We need only obey. There is a guidance 
for each of us, and by lowly listening we shall 
hear the right word. 

Emerson. 
JS^ <^ ^ 

There are hurts that must be bravely bound 
up, and weak places patiently strengthened once 

28 



CHEERFULNESS 

more. But it is in these fresh beginnings that 
much of Hfe's discipline lies, much of the testing 
of our real determination and loyalty. There 
is no virtue in being defeated, but there is virtue 
and courage, too, in refusing to remain de- 
feated. 

Mnon. 



To be bright and cheerful often requires an 
effort; there is a certain art in keeping ourselves 
happy; in this respect, as in others, we require 
to watch over and manage ourselves almost as 
if we were somebody else. 

Sir John Lubbock. 



A HOMELY PHILOSOPHER 

The craps is all gethered, I reckon; 

Hain't made a good show fer the fall; 
But what's the use sighin', 
An' wailin', an' cryin' ? 

Thank God, thar's enough fer us all! 

We've lost some on cotton, I reckon. 
An' taters air powerful small; 

But what's the use sighin' ? 

The fritters air fryin', 
An' thar's jest 'bout enough fer us all! 
29 







THE VALUE OF 

We'll pull through the winter, I reckon; 

We never have gone to the wall; 
So, put on the griddle. 
An' tune up the fiddle — 

Thar's room in the quadrille fer all! 

Frank L. Stanton, 



\ 



The palm is the emblem of conquest. This 
multitude "whom no man could number," com- 
prising every nation and every tongue, bear palms 
in their hands. What have they conquered? 
Self. Each has dethroned self that he may crown 
his brother. By love they serve one another. 

J. H. Jowett. 

A I /^^- ^ ^ ^ 

A faithful friend is the medicine of life. There 
is no man that imparteth his joys to his friend, 
but he joyeth the more; and no man that impart- 
eth his griefs to his friend, but he grieveth the less. 

Jknon, 




/ 



i.f\ 



The Master, with the shadow of the cross fall- 
ing on his soul, was comforted by a woman's 
insight and a woman's love. Her own heart 
taught her the secret of sacrifice; her heart an- 
ticipated the longing for sympathy, and so beau- 
tiful in its grace and spiritual delicacy was her 

30 



^^ 



4 



j^ 



CHEERFULNESS 



x\ 



^ 



act that Jesus declared it would be told to her 
praise wherever the gospels were read. 

For ever this friend of man, hungering for love 
and friendship, passes down the path of life, and 
knocks at the door of the heart. Blessed are 
they who hear his voice and give him welcome, 
who are not ashamed of him or of his cause, 
who serve him with their best, and pour upon 
his head the riches of their love. 

John Watson, 



God will ever be doing new things. He is 
for ever active. He has purposes concerning me 
which he has not unfolded. Therefore, each year 
grows sacred with wondering expectation. 
Therefore, I and the world may go forth from 
each old year into the new which follows it, 
certain that in that new year God will have for 
us some new treatment which will open for us 
some novel life. 

Phillips Brooks, 



It is the struggle, and not the attainment, 
that measures character and foreshadows destiny. 
Character is not determined by faults and weak- 
nesses and periodic phases of life, nor by limi- 
tations and accidents of present existence; but 
by the central purpose, the iifriost desire of the 

31 



f 




THE VALUE OF 

heart. If that be turned toward God and his 
righteousness, it must at last bring us thither. 

Dr. Munger. 
^ ^^ ^ 

Oh, how hard it is to die, and not be able to 
leave the world any better for one's little life in it. 

.Abraham Lincoln, 



When you find yourselves overpowered, as it 
were, by melancholy, the best way is to go out and 
do something kind to somebody. 

Keble. 
^^ ^ ^ 

Do not forget that even as "to work is to 
\7orship," so to be cheery is to worship also; 
and to be happy is the first step to being pious. 

R. L. Stevenson, 
j^ ^ ^ 

This world's no blot for us. 
Nor blank; it means intensely, and means good. 

Browningm 
J^ J^ ^ 

Desire joy and thank God for it. Renounce 
it, if need be, for others' sake. That's joy be- 
yond joy. 

Browning. 

3« 



tr 



-fvfft 



CHEERFULNESS 



A woman who creates and sustains a home, 
and under whose hands children grow up to be 
strong and pure men and women, is a creator 
second only to God. 

Helen Hunt Jackson. 



There is a world within and this is the greater 
world. If you want a really lovely world with- 
out, you must make the world within bright and 



*«S 



lovely. 



David Gregg. 



That things are not so ill with you and me as 
they might have been is half owing to the number 
who lived faithfully a hidden life and rest in un- 
visited tombs. 

George Eliot, 



" I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only 
another way of saying, " I will not forgive." A 
forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note, torn 
in two and burned up, so that it never can be 
shown against the man. There is an ugly kind 
of forgiveness in this world — a kind of hedge- 
hog forgiveness, shot out like quills. 

Beecher's Life Thoughts. 

zz 



^^ra3^ 



llk^ 







THE VALUE OF 

They who imagine that self-denial intrenches 
upon our liberty do not know that it is this only 
that can make us free indeed, giving us the 
victory over ourselves, setting us free from the 
bondage of our corruption, enabling us to bear 
afflictions (which will come one time or other), 
to foresee them without amazement, enlighten- 
ing the mind, sanctifying the will and making us 
to slight those baubles which others so eagerly 
contend for. 

Sacra Privata* 
4^ ^ J& 

It is not things, but opinions about the things, 
that trouble mankind. When, therefore, we are 
worried or troubled, or grieved, never let us 
blame any other than ourselves; that is to say, 
our opinions. 

Epictetus. 



The comfortable and comforting people are 
those who look upon the bright side of life, 
gathering its roses and sunshine and making the 
most that happens seem the best. 

Dorothy Dix. 

You have the child's character in these four 
things, — humility, faith, charity, and cheerful- 

34 



CHEERFULNESS 

ness. That is what you have got to be converted 
to. " Except ye be converted and become as lit- 
tle children." You hear much in these days of 
conversion, but people always seem to think they 
have got to be made wretched by conver- 
sion — to be converted to long faces. No, friends, 
you have got to be converted to short ones; you 
have to repent into childhood, to repent into 
delight and childlikeness. 

Mtuskin. 



We sometimes meet with men who seem to 
think that any indulgence in an affectionate feel- 
ing is weakness. They return from a journey, 
greet their families with a distant dignity and 
move among their children with the cold and 
lofty splendour of an iceberg surrounded by its 
broken fragments. 

There is hardly a more unnatural sight than 
one of those families without a heart. A father 
had better extinguish a boy's eyes than take away 
his heart. Who that has experienced the joys 
of friendship, and values sympathy and affection, 
would not rather lose all that is beautiful in 
Nature's scenery than be robbed of the hidden 
treasure of his heart? Cherish, then, your 
heart's best affection. Indulge in the warm and 
gushing emotions of filial and fraternal love. 

Miss Mulock. 

35 



THE VALUE OF 

When, in the silence of the midnight hour, 
We wakeful lie, ofttimes the Spirit deigns 
To visit us — as when on thirsty plains 
Falls the cool grace of a refreshing shower, 
Making the desert places bloom and flower. 
Then, from the long ago, come back to mind 
Great, simple thoughts too often left behind 
In the fierce strife for fortune, fame, or power — 
Truths we have learned in childhood, but 

outgrown 
In manhood's years, a selfish struggle given. 
Ah, give us, Lord, a childlike heart that we 
May know that in these simple truths alone 
Lie all the joy of earth and hope of heaven — 
The kinship of the human soul with thee. 

Wm. Pierson Merrill. 



Think of life, how short it is; how much un- 
avoidable bitterness it possesses, how much which 
it is easy either to bear or to chase away; and 
think how the power of affection can make all 
things right! Tremble before the chains of 
selfishness; free thyself from them by a new 
sacrifice of love and purify the heaven of home. 
Ascending clouds can easily expand into de- 
structive tempest, or disperse and leave not a 
trace in the air. Oh! chase them hence with 
the powerful breath of love, 

'VJf Miss Bremer. 

36 



^ 



CHEERFULNESS 

Few delights can equal the mere presence of 
one whom we trust utterly. 

George Jtlacdonald. 
JB^ <^ J^ 

We ought to measure our actual lot and to ful- 
fil it; to be with all our strength that which 
our lot requires and allows. What is beyond 
it is no calling of ours. How much peace, quiet, 
confidence, and strength would people attain if 
they would go by this plain rule. 

H. E. Manning. 



" It's a beautiful picture," we said of a treeisure 
that hung on a friend's wall. 

" Ye — s," she answered with a note of reser- 
vation in her voice and a look of dissatisfaction 
upon her face. " Yes, I was delighted with it 
at first; it was something rare then, that style of 
work. But they are bringing in so many cheap 
pictures done in the same way now that one has 
to look closely to see any difference, and it has 
somewhat spoiled this one for me." 

Yet the picture held the same restful scene, 
the same soft finish and delicate colouring which 
had always been its beauty. Why should a mere 
money value affect its charm? Some of the 
cheaper ones were beautiful also, as she said, 
but they were cheap and that spoiled them. 

37 




THE VALUE OF 

There are many to whom beauty must be high- 
priced and exclusive, or it is not beauty at all. 
They rave over the wonderful views of the Alps, 
but never bestow a second glance at the glory of 
the sunset from their own door. They "adore 
music " as represented by an expensive seat at a 
crowded and fashionable concert, but are deaf to 
the song of birds and brooks, the murmur of 
wind-swept trees or the ripple of childish laugh- 
ter. The true lover of beauty discerns it wher- 
ever it is and loves it for itself and not for its 
market value. 

Mnon, 



The most obvious lesson of the gospel is, that 
there is no happiness in having and getting, 
only in giving. 

Henry Druntmond, 
^ J^ J^ 

To rejoice in the prosperity of another is to 
partake of it. 

William Jiustin. 



Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? 
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light, 
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain 
And sweetly distils in the dew and the rain. 

Sir Robert Grant. 
38 



CHEERFULNESS 

Some people mean to have a good time when 
their hard work is done — say, at fifty. Others 
plan to enjoy themselves when their children are 
grown up. Others mean to take their pleasure 
when they get to be rich or when their business 
is built upon a sure foundation or the farm is 
paid for or the grind of some particular sorrow 
is overpast. 

Such persons might as well give up ever hav- 
ing a good time. The season of delight, which 
is so long waited and hoped for, too rarely comes. 
Disease, poverty, death claim each his victims. 
The lives of those whom we love, or our own, 
go out, and what is left? 

Then take your pleasure to-day, while there is 
yet time. Things may not be in the best shape 
for that visit you have been so long planning to 
your only sister. It might be better if you 
could wait till you had a more stylish suit of 
clothes or till the boy was at home from col- 
lege to look after the place; but she is ready 
now. You are both growing old — you had bet- 
ter go. 

John drives round with the horse. "Jump in, 
mother," he says. " It is a lovely day. You 
need the fresh air." Don't say, " I can't go — 
I was intending to make some cakes," or 
" My dress isn't changed." Put on your warm 
coat, tie a veil around your hat and take your 
ride. If you don't take such things when you can 

39 



^^ 



THE VALUE OF 

get them, they are apt to be missing when you 
want them again. 

Don't say, " I shall be glad when that child is 
grown up! What quantities of trouble he 
makes!" No — enjoy his cunning ways — revel 
in his affectionate hugs and kisses — they will not 
be so plentiful by and by. Enjoy his childhood. 
It will look sweet to you when it is gone for ever. 

Enjoy the littles of every day. The great fa- 
vours of fortune come to but few, and those who 
have them tell us that the quiet, homely joys, that 
are within the reach of us all, are infinitely the 
best. Then let us not cast them away, but 
treasure every sunbeam and get all the light 
and warmth from it that the blessing holds. 

Family Friend, 



Remember, when the timid light 
Through the enchanted halls of dawn is 
streaming ; 
Remember, when the pensive night 

Beneath her silvery veil walks dreaming; 
When pleasure calls thee and thy heart beats high 
When tender joys through evening shades draw 

nigh. 
Hark from the woodland deeps 
A gentle whisper creeps — 
Remember! 

40 




ik^ 



m 



CHEERFULNESS 



Remember, when the hand of fate 

My life from thine for evermore has parted; 

When sorrow, exile and the weight 

Of lonely years have made me heavy-hearted; 

Think of my loyal love, my last adieu; 

Absence and time are naught, if we are true; 

Long as my heart shall beat 

To thine it will repeat — 

Remember ! 

Remember, when the cool, dark tomb 

Receives my heart into its quiet keeping, 

And some sweet flower begins to bloom 
Above the place where I am sleeping; 

Ah, then my face thou never more shall see, 

But still my soul will linger close to thee, 

And in the holy peace of night 

The litany of love recite — 

Remember! 

From the Frencht by Henry Van Dyke. 



Of all aesthetic sentiments love of nature pos- 
sesses the advantage of being the one which, 
even though pushed to excess, does not disturb 
the equilibrium of body and mind. Love of 
nature is the sole emotion which is absolutely 
hygienic. One may die of an exaggerated love of 
music, etc; one simply becomes healthy from an 
exaggerated love of nature. Air and light! The 

41 



THE VALUE OF 

Greeks were right to philosophize in the open 
air, in the gardens and groves. A ray of sunlight 
sometimes helps one more to understand the 
world than an eternity of meditation in some 
gray room. The emotion that arises from 
the contemplation of a landscape, of a sun- 
set, of a stretch of blue sea, of a snow-capped 
mountain, or even the blue dome of the sky it- 
self, is absolutely pure, neither too depressing nor 
too immoderately gay. In the presence of nature 
one's aesthetic sensibilities become the means of 
refreshing and resting one, instead of fatiguing 
one, and, if nature has its moods of sadness, they 
contain a touch of the infinite which enlarges the 
heart. The immensity of nature and of the all-en- 
veloping heavens becomes, for those who feel 
it, a constant source of stoical serenity. 

Great Thoughts. 
J^ ^ J& 

Never, though years are lonely, need hearts be 

sad; 
For deeper than grief is the blessing that makes 

life glad. 
To peace that flows as a river is there anything 

deeper to add? 

Though the world is ever changing, yet all its 

changes tend. 
Under the love that leads us on to a destined 

end 

42 



CHEERFULNESS 

Where the worker shall find his task and the 
friend shall hold his friend. 

Nothing shall thwart God's purpose; nothing 
shall rob man's heart, 

In that ultimate joy of living, of his allotted 
part, 

Save faithless days and cruel pride and the tempt- 
er's hateful art. 

To share in the children's mirth, to strengthen 

hearts that grieve. 
To give to the bounty of God, and with grateful 

love receive. 
To search with eager eyes, yet with quiet heart 

believe; 

Unspoiled by love of earth, to count God's pres- 
ence best. 

Yet taste life's pure delights with fresh, un- 
wearied zest, 

This is the favour of God, that deepens on toward 
rest. 

Welcome is mirth cmd singing, but ever the heart 

returns 
To the joy of its expectation, the peace it afar 

discerns. 
Where the light of love for the creature in the 

face of the Maker burns. 

Isaac Ogden Rankin. 

43 



THE VALUE OF 

Give us to awake with smiles, give us to labour 
smiling. ... As the sun lightens the world, 
so let our loving-kindness make bright this 
house of our habitation. 

R. L. Stevenson. 
jE^ ^ jE^ 

Have hope. Though clouds environ now 
And gladness hides her face in scorn, 

Put thou the shadow from thy brow — 
No night but hath its morn. 

Schiller, 



"Tell me not of your doubts and discourage- 
ments," said Goethe, " I have plenty of my own. 
But talk to me of your hope and faith." The tone 
of complaint is one which we are all too ready 
to accept, and which is not only injurious to our- 
selves, but hurtful to all who come in contact 
with us. In speaking of a young woman who 
had filled several good positions, but with no 
degree of success, an elder woman said: "She 
could have kept either position and earned a 
good income if she had not been so dissatisfied. 
She was continually finding fault, and never felt 
that she was appreciated." 

It may be safely said that this attitude of mind 
is one that almost predetermines failure in any 
line of work. Patience under adverse circum- 

44 



<« 



w 




CHEERFULNESS ' 



Stances will often bring about favourable results, 
while complaint only accentuates and fixes the 
cause of complaint. Avoid mention of the disa- 
greeable things that may come into your life. If 
you cannot be patient, you can at least be silent. 
The secret of success lies not so much in knowing 
what to say as in what to avoid saying. 

Mnon, 



Many of the misfits and failures in both the 
spiritual and the material of life are due to doing 
the right thing — but just a little too soon or a 
little too late. 

Mnon. 
^ ^ J^ 

Even in ordinary life the unselfish people are 
the happiest — those who work to make others 
happy and who forget themselves. The dissatis- 
fied people are those who are seeking happiness 
for themselves. 

Mrs. Besant, 
<^ ^& ^ 

"When school is out, I shall go home," she said, 
"And all my heartache will be comforted." 

" When school is out," she said, " once more I'll 

rest 
My tired head upon my mother's breast, 

45 



III 



^^^... 



THE VALUE OF 

And feel her tender cheek against it pressed, 
And there, at last, I shall find perfect rest." 

"When school is out," she said, "I know I'll 

meet — 
Dancing for joy along the golden street — 
My little child, my babe so stainless sweet, 
Who went to heaven before his dimpled feet 
Had ever learned in earthly paths to go, 
Nor pressed the violets, nor trod the snow! 
Oh, I will clasp him close, and I shall know 
Those kisses that I taught him long ago ! " 

" Life's weary lessons are all learned," she said, 
" And school is out." We bent — and she was 
dead. 

British Weekly. 



To stand with a smile upon your face, against 
a stake from which you cannot get away — that, 
no doubt, is heroic. But true glory is not resig- 
nation to the inevitable. To stand unchained, 
with perfect liberty to go away, held only by the 
kigher claims of duty, and let the fire creep up 
to the heart — this is heroism. 

F. IV. Robertson. 
^ J^ jB^ 

In the midst of the wildest storms, the ear that 
is attuned to His love can hear above the fury 
46 . 



CHEERFULNESS 

of the tempest the bird-notes that herald the 
passing of the clouds. The way will be rough 
at times, but if His " will be done " in our hearts 
we will forget the way we came when the hand 
of our guide leads us at last into the gates of the 
city of the King. 

^non. 



There is never a sky of winter 
To the heart that sings alway; 

Never a night but hath stars to light, 
And dreams of a rosy day. 

The world is ever a garden 
Red with the bloom of May; 

And never a stormy morning 
To the heart that sings alway! 

Frank L. Stanton. 



There's a fount about to stream. 
There's a light about to beam, 
There's a warmth about to glow. 
There's a flower about to blow; 
There's a midnight blackness changing 

Into gray; 
Men of thought and men of action, 

Clear the way! 

Charles Mackay. 

47 



it 



II 



THE VALUE OF 

I do verily believe that the world will come, 
finally, to understand that God paints the clouds 
and shapes the moss-fibres, that men may be 
happy in seeing him at his work, and that in 
resting quietly beside him, and watching his 
working, and — according to the power he has 
commimicated to ourselves, and the guidance he 
grants — in carrying out his purposes of peace 
and charity among all his creatures, are the only 
real happinesses that ever were, or will be, pos- 
sible to mankind. 

John Ituskin. 



Next to happiness I place vision as one of the 
most desirable of earthly blessings. By vision I 
mean ability to detect the real meaning of life, 
the power to see that behind the processes of 
nature and the movements of history, are intelli- 
gence and love — that God is in his world. 

Some walk through forests glorious in colour, 
rich in beauty, tremulous with perfume and thrill- 
ing with vitality, and think only of the amount 
of timber they contain; others look upon the 
rushing waters of a mighty river and think only 
of the power wasted there which might be util- 
ized to run machinery; still others mingle with 
their fellows and think only how they may be 
used for selfish purposes. But some, with clearer 
sight, walk in the same forests and hear a various 
48 





CHEERFULNESS 

music thrilling and throbbing with an indwelling 
God; they see divine power and providence in 
the watercourses, while to their thought every 
man is a revelation of the Father of all. 

To one this world is simply a place to live in 
and his fellow men mere tools to be used; to 
the other this universe is aflame with the Deity 
and every man potentially divine. The first ob- 
servers were blind; the second have vision — 
and those who have vision are most frequently 
those who, by living with open minds and loving 
hearts, have come to see what earlier was hidden 
from them. The wine of vision is usually pro- 
vided toward the close of the feast of life. 

Jlmory H. Bradford, D. D. 



Dear, restless heart, be still! Don't fret and 

worry so; 
God hath a thousand ways his love and help to 

show: 
Just trust and trust and trust until his will you 

know. 

Dear, restless heart, be still; for peace is God's 

own smile, 
His love can every wrong and sorrow reconcile. 
Just love and love and love and calmly wait 

awhile. 

49 



/f 



THE VALUE OF 

Dear, restless heart, be brave! Don't moan and 

sorrow so. 
He hath a meaning kind in the chilly winds that 

blow. 
Just hope and hope and hope until you braver 

grow. 

Dear, restless heart, repose upon his heart an 

hour. 
His heart is strength and life, his heart is bloom 

and flower. 
Just rest and rest and rest within his tender 

power. 

Dear, restless heart, be still! Don't toil and hurry 

so; 
God is the Silent One, for ever calm and slow. 
Just wait and wait and wait and work with him 

below. 

Dear, restless heart, be still! Don't struggle to 

be free. 
God's life is in your life; from him you may not 

flee. 
Just pray and pray and pray till you have faith to 

^^®' Edith Willis Linn, 



This is the best day the world has ever seen. 
To-morrow will be better. 

R. M. Campbell, 

SO 



CHEERFULNESS 

The great end of prudence is to give cheer- 
fulness to those hours which splendour cannot 
gild, and acclamation cannot exhilarate — those 
soft intervals of unbended amusement, in which 
a man shrinks to his natural dimensions, and 
throws aside the ornaments or disguises which 
he feels, in privacy, to be useful encumbrances, 
and to lose all effect when they become familiar. 
To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all 
ambition; the end to which every enterprise 
and labour tends, and of which every desire 
prompts the prosecution. It is indeed at home 
that every man must be known, by those who 
would make a just estimate either of his virtue or 
felicity; for smiles and embroidery are alike 
occasional, and the mind is often dressed for 
show in painted honour, and fictitious benevo- 
lence. 

Samuel Johnson. 



We may, if we choose, make the worst of one 
another. Every person has his weak points; 
every one has his faults; we may make the worst 
of these; we may fix our attention constantly 
upon these. But we may also make the best of 
one another. We may forgive even as we hope 
to be forgiven. We may put ourselves in the 
place of others and ask what we should wish 
to be done to us, and thought of us, were we in 



\ 



THE VALUE OF 

their place. By loving whatever is lovable in 
those around us, love will flow back from them 
to us, and life will become a pleasure instead of a 
pain; and earth will become like heaven; and we 
shall become not unworthy followers of Him 
whose name is Love. 

There is a story of a German baron who made 
a great Aeolian harp by stretching wires from 
tower to tower of his castle. When the harp 
was ready he listened for the music. But it was 
in the calm of summer, and in the still air the 
wires hung silent. Autumn came, with its gentle 
breezes, and there were faint whispers of song. 
At length the winter winds swept over the castle, 
and now the harp answered in majestic music. 

Such a harp is the human heart. It does not 
yield its noblest music in the summer days of 
joy, but in the winter of trial. The sweetest 
songs on earth have been sung in sorrow. The 
richest things in character have been reached 
through pain. 

Mnon, 



Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure; 

Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright; 
Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor, 

And reap a harvest-home of light. 

Horatius Bonar, 

52 



CHEERFULNESS 

Sir Joshua Reynolds, the celebrated painter, 
used to say: "I only look at the best pictures; 
a bad one spoils my eye." 

The way to rise above the disappointment is to 
fix our eyes not on others' or our own failures, 
but on the mark, and press toward that. 

H. W. Foote. 



All God's pleasures are simple ones; health, the 
rapture of a May morning, sunshine, the stream 
blue and green, kind words, benevolent acts, the 
glow of good humour. 

F. W. Robertson. 



A laugh is just like music, 

It lingers in the heart, 
And where its melody is heard, 

The ills of life depart; 
And happy thoughts come crowding 

Its joyful notes to greet; 
A laugh is just like music 

For making living sweet. 
^ — ' Mnon, 



To be poor is not always pleasant, but worse 
things than that happen at sea. Small shoes are 

53 



THE VALUE OF 

apt to pinch, but not if you have a small foot; 
if we have little means it will be well to have 
little desires. Poverty is no shame, but being dis- 
contented with it is. In some things the poor 
are better off than the rich; for if a poor man has 
to seek meat for his stomach, he is more likely 
to get what he is after than the rich man who 
seeks a stomach for his meat. It is not how much 
we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes 
happiness. It is not the quantity of our goods, 
but the blessing of God on what we have that 
makes us truly rich. 

C. H. Spurgeon. 



Our greatest glory consists not in never fall- 
ing, but in rising every time we fall. 

Goldsmith. 



Turn, Fortune, turn thy wheel and lower the 
proud; 
Turn thy wild wheel thro' sunshine, storm and 
cloud; 
Thy wheel and thee we neither love nor hate. 
Smile, and we smile, the lords of many lands; 
Frown and we smile, the lords of our own hands; 
For man is man and master of his fate. 

Tennysorim 

54 



iin 



CHEERFULNESS 

Speed only joyful messages 

Along the spirit-track; 
Sweet thoughts sent o'er that airy line 

Bring sweet thoughts back. 

Mary F. Butts. 



All who have meant good work with their 
whole hearts, have done good work, although 
they may die before they have time to sign it. 

R. L. Stevenson, 



The dark hath many dear avails; 

The dark distils divinest dews; 
The dark is rich with nightingales, 

With dreams, and with the heavenly Muse. 

Sidney Lanier. 



Some people seem to rake up all the sorrows 
of the past; to them they add the burdens of 
the present; then they look ahead and anticipate 
a great many more trials than they will ever 
experience in the future. 

Dtvight L. Moody, 



When we learn that it is a matter of economy 
never to rehearse the symptoms of disease, never 

55 



H 




THE VALUE OF 

to get angry, never to cherish ill-will, revenge- 
ful or unforgiving thoughts, never to make 
enemies, but always to be charitable and friendly, 
kind, good-natured, and hopeful, we shall not 
need to be told how we caused our own dis-ease; 
nor shall we need to say, " I will not think these 
wrong thoughts any more," for they will die out 
of themselves. 

Horatio IV. Dresser, 



Why shadow the beauty of sea or of land 

With a doubt or a fear? 
God holds all the swift-rolling worlds in his 

hand. 
And sees what no man can as yet understand, 

That out of life here, 

With its smile and its tear, 
Comes forth into light, from Eternity planned, 

The soul of good cheer. 
Don't worry — 

The end shall appear. 

Elizabeth Porter Gould. 
jE^ £^ JS^ 

Be useful where thou livest, that they may both 
want and wish thy pleasing presence still. Kind- 
ness, good parts, great places are the way to com- 
pass this. Find out men's want and will and meet 
them there. 

George Herbert. 

56 



CHEERFULNESS 

There are two good rules which ought to be 
written on every heart — never to believe any- 
thing bad about anybody unless you positively 
know it to be true; never to tell even that unless 
you feel that it is absolutely necessary, and that 
God is listening while you tell it. 

Dr. Henry Van Dyke. 



Nothing can lessen the dignity of humanity 
so long as the religion of love, of unselfishness 
and of devotion endures, and none can destroy 
the altars of this faith for us so long as we feel 
ourselves capable of love. 

Jimiel's Journal. 



We shall be glad — really glad — of everything 
that has come to us, no matter if it is sorrow 
or pain, when we find that our experience fits 
some one's else need — that some one else can 
build on our lives. 

Maltbie Davenport Babcock, D. D. 



" If I should die, John, I suppose you would 
spend a great deal of money for flowers." 

"Why, yes, Anna; but whatever put that into 
your head? " 

" Oh, nothing, only I thought that ten-dollar 

57 



THE VALUE OF 

wreaths and fifty-dollar anchors wouldn't make 
any difference to me when I'm dead, and just 
a little flower now and then while I'm living 
would mean so much to me." 

"Just a little flower, now and then, while I'm 
living." The reply of the young wife is eloquent 
of the heart-hunger of thousands. 

Why do we withhold the appreciative word, 
the loving look, the fervent hand-clasp until the 
pulses are stilled, the eyes closed, the ears un- 
heeding? Why wait until flowers can no longer 
give pleasure to shower them upon our near 
and dear ones? 

Mnon* 



No use to hunt the happy days — 

They're with you all the time; 
They're loafin' with you 'long the ways 

An' singin' in a rhyme. 
No use to search the world around 

An' think they're far and fleet; 
The brightest of 'em still are found 

In violets at your feet. 

Atlanta Constitution, 



ever-earnest sun! 

Unwearied in thy work, 
Unhalting in thy course, 

58 



VZ 



CHEERFULNESS 

Unlingering in thy path, 
Teach me thy earnest ways, 

That mine may be a life of steadfast work and 
praise. 

O ever-earnest stars! 

Unchanging in your light. 

Unfaltering in your race, 

Unswerving in your round, 
Teach me your earnest ways 
That mine may be a life of steadfast work and 
praise. 

O ever-earnest earth! 

Doing thy Maker's work, 
Fulfilling his great will, 
With all thy morns and evens 

Teach me thy earnest ways, 

That mine may be a life of steadfast work and 
praise. 

O ever-earnest sea! 

Constant in flow and ebb. 

Heaving to moon and sun, 

Unchanging in thy change. 
Teach me thy earnest ways. 

That mine may be a life of steadfast work and 
praise. 

Horatius Bonar. 

59 



THE VALUE OF 

What is it? What name shall I call this thing 
That tugs at my heart, that warms and thrills 
With its message of joy from the heavenward 
hills; 

That speaks its peace to a world at strife 

And informs my soul with its life of life? 

Is it love? Is it spring? 

Afar and anear there is talk of God, 

And pressing my face to the good green sod 

I hear, in a measureless harmony. 

The germ in the clod and the sap in the tree; 

Infinite murmurings, whisperings sweet, , 

Love in its fulness and trust complete. 

Then I know in my heart that the thing I hear, 
That trembles and pants in its prisoned stress. 
Is a voice that cries in the wilderness. 

Through its myriad channels proclaiming near 
The Lord whom the forest hath long foretold. 
As the rue sings praise from its pinch of 
mold 

I will face me my world and away with fear, 

For the glad earth sings: It is God — he is here! 

Edward Mayheiv Bacon. 



When goldenrod lines every hedge and lane, 
What matters if the fields are brown in rain? 
Where violets were, a purple aster grows. 
60 



CHEERFULNESS 

And why should one regret a faded rose? 
What if the nest we watched deserted swings, 
A meadow-lark a-down the pasture sings. 
And when the leaves are falling thick and fast, 
They are the brighter that they cannot last; 
For even in the coming winter days, 
The promise of another summer stays. 

Chicago IntersOcean. 
jg^ ^ jBf 

Life is short and we have never too much time 
for gladdening the hearts of those who are travel- 
ling the dark way with us! Oh, be swift to love! 
Make haste to be kind! 

The flowers of youth may fade, but the summer, 
the autumn, and even the winter of human exist- 
ence have their majestic grandeur, which the wise 
man recognizes and glorifies. 

Jimiel* 

J^ ^ a^ 

The great secret of success in life is to be ready 
when your opportunity comes. 

Lord Beacons/ietd. 
£/ ^ j& 

Enthusiasm springs from hope, and for hope 
there must be a manly heart, there must be cour- 
age. 

Power dwells with cheerfulness; hope puts us 
in a working mood, whilst despair is no muse 
and untunes the active powers. 
6i 



.'f!; 



THE VALUE OF 

A considerable part of what we receive, is not 
what we receive, but the gratitude that grows out 
of it, and the blessing which follows the expres- 
sion of that gratitude, 

^ ^^ j^ 

There is no finer chemistry than that by which 
the element of suffering is so compounded with 
spiritual forces that it issues to the world as 
gentleness and strength. 

George S, Merriam, 

^ ^ ^ 

Abundant joy and comfort in thy sorrow; 

A faith that asks not when nor where nor how; 
A gladsome day — there never comes " To-mor- 
row," 

For each it is an ever-present " Now." 
And so I wish thee one long day of sweetness. 

With inward peace that nothing can impair; 
Each trial touching not its calm completeness 

But making life more earnest, real and fair. 

Caroline Ticknor, 

jE^ jE^ £^ 

I wonder if we realize how much of our ordi- 
nary talk consists of criticism? There is no doubt 
that it is immensely interesting to watch people, 
to study their characters and ways, and to com- 
municate our impressions about them to others. 
62 



mi- . 



CHEERFULNESS 

Take away the element of personal criticism and 
conversation, one must admit, would lose a good 
deal of its interest. Yet is it not a little disturb- 
ing sometimes to reflect, after leaving a house 
where you have been entertained for half an hour 
by sprightly and witty comments on mutual ac- 
quaintances, that in all probability your own 
personality is furnishing a text for a similar en- 
tertainment with the next group of callers? 

After all it is better to be kindly than to be 

amusing; it is better to pass over a good deal 

that does not quite commend itself to us (so 

■ !*• long as no principle is involved) than to be 

^ i > always making a fight for one's own way of doing 

1% \ \ things at the cost of friction and disagreement. 

Y ^^\ Hundreds of years before the Christian era, when 

^S^l an Eastern poet wished to sum up his impressions 

^^W of perfect womanhood, he closed his ideal portrait 

with these words : " She openeth her mouth with 

wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness." 

Mnon. 



The clouds have a silver lining, 

Don't forget; 
And though he's hidden, still the sun is shining; 
Courage! instead of tears and vain repining. 

Just bide a wee and dinna fret. 

Mnon 
63 



W 



1 



THE VALUE OF 

Such a heart I'd bear in my bosom 

That, threading the crowded street, 
My face should shed joy unlooked for 

On every poor soul I meet; 
And such wisdom should crown my forehead 

That, coming where councils stand, 
I should carry the thoughts of justice 

And stablish the weal of the land. 

Julia IVard Howe* 



The greatest man is he who chooses the right 
with invincible resolution, who resists the sorest 
temptations from within and without, who bears 
the heaviest burdens cheerfully, who is calmest in 
storms and most fearless under menace and 
frowns, whose reliance on truth, on virtue, on 
God is most unfaltering. 

W. E. Charming. 



Our business is not to build quickly, but to 
build upon a right foundation and in a right 
spirit. Life is more than a mere competition as 
between man and man; it is not who can be done 
first, but who can work best; it is not who can 
rise highest in the shortest time, but who is 
working most patiently and lovingly in accord- 
ance with the designs of God. 

Joseph Parker, 

64 



^VUfSf. 



CHEERFULNESS 

The bravest battle that ever was fought, 
Shall I tell you where and when? 

On the maps of the world you'll find it not, 
'Twas fought by the mothers of men. 

Nay, not with cannon or battle shot. 

With sword or nobler pen! 
No, nor with eloquent word or thought 

From mouth of wonderful men! 

But deep in a walled-up woman's heart — 
Of woman that would not yield, 

But bravely, silently bore her part — 
Lo! there is the battlefield. 

No marshalling troops, no bivouac song. 
No banner to gleam and wave! 

But oh, these battles, they last so long — 
From babyhood to the grave. 

Joaquin Miller, 



Feeling is a poor guide of conduct. A large 
share of our duty is the doing of what we do not 
feel like doing, and the not doing that which we 
do feel like doing. If a boy or man is set to a 
task within his ability, it is no excuse for his 
failure to do it that he did not feel like doing it. 
No court would acquit a prisoner of guilt on the 
ground that he felt like stealing. A man may, at 

65 




m 



THE VALUE OF 

times, write well or preach well or sing well or 
perform well on a musical instrument, or fight 
well in the hour of battle while he feels like it, 
but most men have to do those things when they 
do not feel like it. The world's best work is done 
by those who are not, at the time, under the in- 
fluence of impelling and controlling feeling in 
that direction. If you feel like doing a thing, or 
like not doing it, consider whether you ought 
to do it or ought not to do it, in spite of your 
feeling, and then be guided by your duty rather 
than by your feeling. It may be to your discredit 
that you cannot feel like doing what you ought 
to do, but it is never an excuse for your not do- 
ing it. Great Thoughts, 



Talk happiness. The world is sad enough 
Without your woes. No path is wholly rough; 
Look for the places that are smooth and clear, 
And speak of these to rest the weary ear 
Of earth, so hurt by one continuous strain 
Of human discontent and grief and pain. 

Mnon, 
J& «^ ^ 

Alius keep a-lookin* out 

Fer th' silver linin'; 
Pick yer path erlong thru life 

Wher' th' sun is shinin'. 
66 



CHEERFULNESS 

Never try t' see how much 

Trubble you kin borrow; 
Sky thet's dark t'-day may be 

Bright an' blue t'-morrow. 

Ef yu've skasely got th' stren'th 

Fer th* load yer bearin', 
Rest a bit wher' poseys nod 

'Long the road yer farin'. 

When you feel th' prick o' pain 
Frum each thorn an' thissel, 

Push on wher' th' path is smooth; 
See ef you can't whissel. 

Alius do th' best you kin; 

Keep yer heart-lights shinin*; 
Alius keep a-lookin' out 

Fer th' silver linin'. 

Mnon. 
^^ ^& j^ 

The bread that bringeth strength I want to giye 
The water pure that bids the thirsty live; 
I want to help the fainting day by day: 
I'm sure I shall not pass again this way. 

I want to give the oil of joy for tears. 

The faith to conquer crowding doubts and fears. 

Beauty for ashes may I give alway; 

I'm sure I shall not pass again this way. 

67 



THE VALUE OF 

I want to give good measure running o'er. 
And into angry hearts I want to pour 
The answer soft that turneth wrath away: 
I'm sure I shall not pass again this way. 

I want to give to others hope and faith; 
I want to do all that the Master saith; 
I want to live aright from day to day: 
I'm sure I shall not pass again this way. 

Mnon, 



Only a word, was it? Scarce a word! 
Musical whisper, softly heard, 
Syllabled nothing — just a breath — 
'Twill outlast life, and 'twill laugh at death. 
Love with so little can do so much — 
Only a word, sweet! Only a touch! 

Mortimer Collins. 



How common it is for one in mature or ad- 
vanced life to wish that he were young again! 
And what a mistake this is! If one remembers 
joys that he had in former years, let him be 
grateful for them and know that better things, 
even if not the same as those, are yet before 
him. The best things to God's children are ever 
ahead, not behind. If he thinks of mistakes that 
68 



CHEERFULNESS 

he then made, let him be grateful that he has not 
to try the thing over again, lest he might do even 
worse if he had another trial. If, indeed, he really 
can do better now, let him do so where and as 
he is, instead of showing his unfitness for the 
present by repining over the lost past. 

Mnon. 



Here in the country's heart 

Where the grass is green, 
Life is the same sweet life 

As it e'er hath been. 

Trust in a God still lives, 

And the bell at morn 
Floats with a thought of God 

O'er the rising corn. 

God comes down in the rain, 
And the crop grows tall — 

This is the country faith, 
And the best of all. 

Gorman Gale. 



*' Oh, how cold!" escaped my lips, as I stum- 
bled through the door of a miserable attic tene- 
ment. The mother was out, but her twelve-year- 
old boy was mounted guard over the other chil- 
69 



THE VALUE OF 

dren as they played about the poorly furnished 
room. I shivered as the wind whistled through 
the broken window-panes, causing me to pull my 
overcoat over my ears. The boy was in his shirt- 
sleeves, but I refrained from asking questions 
as to the whereabouts of his coat, in case its 
absence might have been the means of providing 
a crust of bread for the fatherless family. 

"Are you not cold, my boy?" I asked. "No,'* 
said he; "not very." Yet I noticed how his 
pretty pearly teeth chattered. I waited awhile 
and spoke to him; then I took a look into the 
cradle, where, sleeping quietly and comfortably, 
the baby lay, covered with the boy's coat! Talk 
about the bravery of men who face cannon (in 
the heat of passion they will do anything); but 
here was a hero in his shirt-sleeves on a bitter 
cold day, because he wanted to shield his little 
brother from the biting effect of a cold February 
wind. 

Men say the age of heroism is past. It is false! 
So long as the nation raises boys like this one, 
she has within herself the germs of a boyhood 
that will keep her for ever in the very forefront 
of the world's history. 

Mnon. 
J& £^ jB^ 

Prayer that craves a particular commodity, any- 
thing less than all good, is vicious. Prayer is 
the contemplation of the facts of life from the 



CHEERFULNESS 

highest point of view. It is the soliloquy of a 
beholding and jubilant soul. 

But prayer as a means to effect a private end 
is meanness and theft. As soon as the man is 
at one with God, he will not beg. He will then 
see prayer in all action. 

Another sort of false prayers are our regrets. 
Discontent is the want of self-reliance; it is in- 
firmity of will. Regret calamities if you can 
thereby help the sufferer; if not, attend your own 
work, and already the evil begins to be repaired. 

Emerson. 
J^ ^ J& 

A pretty safe rule of conduct is to avoid doing 
anything that would cause heartache or headache. 

J^ixon IVaterman. 
^ J^ JS^ 

If life is a lottery-day at a fair, 

Where some must draw blanks and others draw 
prizes, 
What good is your hurry or worry or care 

Whenever the shadow of trouble arises? 

Worry has killed, but never has cured. 

Care brings the crow's-feet, but never a bird- 
song; 

Pain is not pain if it's wisely endured, 

And even a wail may be turned to a word song. 

Edward F. Burns. 

71 



THE VALUE OF 

When you and I go gipsying we'll laugh the 

whole day long; 
We'll stop at every cottage gate and thrill our 

hearts with song; 
We'll live the joy of summer skies when hopes 

are well begun ; — 
When you and I go gipsying we'll travel toward 

the sun. 

We'll use the old, old magic that shall never 

cease to be; 
The charm of love whose mystic spell is over 

you and me; 
Our hearts will know a rapture fine that time can 

ne'er outrun ; — 
When you and I go gipsying we'll travel toward 

the sun. 

With some far Eastern splendour strange, with 

some unbought delight, 
We'll fill our eager vision as it looks beyond the 

night ; 
And still, to feed the fire that burns within our 

heart as one, 
When you and I go gipsying we'll travel toward 

the sun. 

We'll leave behind us every care and set our way WfJ0^% 
afar, ^^ 

72 




CHEERFULNESS 



m 



A 



Beyond the low horizon's verge to some love- 
lighted star; 

We'll dream the dreams of earth no more, a 
happier dream begun — 

When you and I go gipsying we'll travel toward 
the sun. 

Lewis Worthington Smith, 



There are no chagrins so venomous as the 
chagrins of the idle; there are no pangs so sick- 
ening as the satieties of pleasure. Nay, the 
bitterest and most enduring sorrow may be borne 
through the burden and heat of day bravely to 
the due time of death, by a true worker. 

John Ruskin. 
<& ^& <& 

Which hand will you have, the right or the left? 

Is a question we hear every day 
From fool and from sage, from youth and old age. 

From children immersed in their play. 
Which hand will you have, the right or the left? 

I'll tell you the right one for me: 
The hand which contains no ill-gotten gains. 

The hand that is open and free. 

If the right hand holds wealth with all that it 
brings. 
Its nights with their wearisome sleep; 

73 



Jl 



%l 



THE VALUE OF 

Its burdens and cares, its pitfalls and snares, 
Then I ask you the right one to keep. 

If the left hand holds poverty, honest and true. 
Possessing from day unto day 

A satisfied mind, and a love for mankind, 
Then give me the left one, I say. 

Joe Cone, 



Two things will never happen to me, — the 
thing that is too much for me, and the thing that 
is not best for me. 

Jinna Robertson Brown. 



He only is advancing in life, whose heart is 
getting softer, whose blood warmer, whose brain 
quicker, whose spirit is entering the living Peace. 

Raskin. 



The swallows twitter in the sky. 

But bare the nest beneath the eaves; 

The fledgelings of my care are gone. 
And left me but the rustling leaves. 

And yet, I know my life hath strength. 
And firmer hope and sweeter prayer. 

For leaves that murmur on the ground 
Have now for me a double care. 

74 



CHEERFULNESS 

I see in them the hope of spring, 
That erst did plan the autumn day; 

I see in them each gift of man 

Grow strong in years, then turn to clay. 

Not all is lost — the fruit remains 
That ripened through the summer's ray; 

The nurslings of the nest are gone, 
Yet hear we still their warbling lay. 

The glory of the summer sky 

May change to tints of autumn hue; 

But faith that sheds its amber light 
Will lend our heaven a tender blue. 

Thomas O'Hagan, 
J^ ^ J^ 

Self-trust is the essence of heroism, it speaks 
the truth, and it is just, generous, hospitable, 
temperate, scornful of petty calculations, and 
scornful of being scorned. It persists; it is of an 
undaunted boldness and of a fortitude not to be 
wearied out. 

Emerson, 



Beware of making your moral staple consist 
of the negative virtues. It is good to abstain, 
and teach others to abstain, from all that is sin- 

75 



THE VALUE OF 

ful or hurtful. But making a business of it leads 
to emaciation of character, unless one feeds 
largely also on the more nutritious diet of active 
sympathetic benevolence. 

Holmes. 



It is not so much what you say, 
As the manner in which you say it; 

It is not so much the language you use, 
As the tones in which you convey it. 

"Come here!" I sharply said. 

And the baby cowered and wept; 
" Come here," I cooed, and he looked and smiled. 

And straight to my lap he crept. 

The words may be mild and fair. 

And the tones may pierce like a dart; 

The words may be soft as the summer air. 
And the tones may break the heart. 

For words but come from the mind. 

And grow by study and art; 
But the tones leap forth from the inner self. 

And reveal the state of the heart. 

Whether you know it or not — 

Whether you mean or care — 
Gentleness, kindness, love, and hate. 

Envy and anger, are there. 

76 



IJVl 



r 



CHEERFULNESS 

Then would you quarrels avoid, 

And in peace and love rejoice, 
Keep anger not only out of your words, 

But keep it out of your voice. 

Mnon, 



The distant lights like beacons shine; 

The city they illume is mine; 
The friends I love are gathered there; 

Give me thy help, O Guide divine. 
For hope and faith are in my prayer; 

And morn will break and I shall stand 

At daybreak in my fatherland. 

Marianne Farninghant, 



Faith always implies the disbelief of a lesser 
fact in favour of a greater. A little mind often 
sees the unbelief, without seeing the belief of a 
large one. 

Holmes. 



Some day, some day of days, treading the street 
With idle, heedless pace, 
Unlooking for such grace, 
I shall behold your face, — 

Some day, some day of days, thus may we meet. 

71 






THE VALUE OF 

Perchance the sun may shine from skies of May, 
Or winter's icy chill 
Touch lightly vale and hill; 
What matter? I shall thrill 

Through every vein with summer on that day. 

Once more life's perfect youth will all come back. 
And for a moment there 
I shall stand fresh and fair, 
And drop the garment care; 

Once more my perfect youth shall nothing lack. 

I shut my eyes now, thinking how 'twill be. 
How, face to face, each soul 
Will slip its long control. 
Forget the dismal dole 

Of dreary fate's dark separating sea. 

And glance to glance, and hand to hand in greet- 
ing. 

The past with all its fears. 

Its silence and -its tears. 

Its lonely, yearning years. 
Shall vanish in the moment of that meeting. 

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, in Independent. 



Now, at last, therefore, hold thyself worthy to 
live as a man of full age and one who is pressing 
forward, and let everything that appeareth the 

78 



CHEERFULNESS 

best to thee, be as an inviolable law. And if any 
toil or pleasure or reputation, or the loss of it be 
laid upon thee, remember that now is the contest, 
here already are the Olympian games, and there 
is no deferring them any longer; that in a single 
day or a single trial, ground is to be lost or 
gained. 

Epictetus. 
^ ^ ^ 

Life is not easy for any one, and to many people 
it is very hard. They are carrying every ounce of 
burden they can possibly carry. They sometimes 
almost totter beneath their heavy load. Now 
suppose that, instead of saying cheering words 
to these people, heartening words which would 
put new hope and courage into their spirit, we do 
nothing but criticize them, find fault with them, 
speak in harsh, unloving way of them; what is 
the effect upon them? It can only be hurtful. 
It makes their load all the heavier. Or, rather, 
it takes out of their heart the enthusiasm, the 
hope, the courage, and makes it harder for them 
to go on. 

" Carrying one's cross," means simply that you 
are to go on the road which you see to be the 
straight one; carrying whatever you find is given 
you to carry, as well and as stoutly as you can; 
without making any faces or calling people to look 
at you. Above all, you are neither to load nor un- 

79 



f 



THE VALUE OF 

load yourself, nor cut your cross to your own 
liking. But all you have really to do is to keep 
your back as straight as you can, and not think 
about what is on it; above all, not to boast of 
what is on it. The real and essential meaning of 
virtue is in that straightness of the back. 

Ruskin. 



"Yes, you did, too!" 

"I did not!" 
Thus the lit^e quarrel started, 
Thus, by unkind little words. 
Two fond friends were parted. 

" I am sorry." 

" So am I." 
Thus the little quarrel ended, 
Thus, by loving little words. 
Two fond hearts were mended. 

H. B. I^eech, in youth's Companion. 




:--^ 



Believe always that every other life has been 
more tempted, more tried than your own; be- 
lieve that the lives higher and better than your 
own are not so through more ease, but more 
effort; that the lives lower than yours are so 
through less opportunity, more trial. 

Mary R, J. .Andrews, 

I 






4 



^. 



^ 



tv 



CHEERFULNESS 

A little work, a little play 

To keep us going — and so good day! 

A little warmth, a little light 

Of love's bestowing — and so good night! 

A little fun to match the sorrow 

Of each day's growing — and so good morrow! 

A little trust that when we die 

We reap our sowing! And so good-bye! 

George Du Maurier. 
^ ^ j^ 

If thou hast yesterday thy duty done. 
And thereby cleared firm footing for to-day, 

Whatever clouds may dark to-morrow's sun. 
Thou shalt not miss thy solitary way. 

Goethe, 
J^ j^ J^ 

" So many old people get queer crotchets and 
notions that make them hard to live with," said a 
lady the other day, — a lady whose own life was 
far past its meridian, — " that I am keeping watch 
of myself all the time. I don't know what cranki- 
ness may be apparent to others." 

" Oh, it isn't the people who think and keep 
watch who develop the crotchets; it's the people 
who don't," smiled a friend. " Thoughtf ulness 
8i 



^ 



THE VALUE OF 

and watchfulness to keep one's self pleasant to 
live with, will make one immune from all sorts 
of cranky notions." 

But the thoughtfulness and watchfulness ought 
to begin early. We speak rather slightingly 
sometimes of certain pleasantnesses and agree- 
able manners as " merely mechanical," but it is 
worth a good deal to have a social mechanism so 
used to running properly that it will run on in 
the accustomed way even when the spirit is per- 
turbed. Thoughtfulness and consideration for 
others may grow into a habit, and habit is a won- 
derful safeguard even when will and strength 
have lost something of their power. 

Mnon» 
^e^ ^ ^e^ 

The sun, and the sea, and the wiiid. 

The wave, and the wind, and the sky, 
We are off to a magical Ind, 

My heart, and my soul, and I; 
Behind us the isles of despair 

And mountains of misery lie. 
We're away, anywhere, anywhere, 

My heart, and my soul, and I. 

O islands and mountains of youth, 
O land that lies gleaming before. 

Life is love, hope, and beauty, and truth, — 
We will weep o'er the past no more. 



CHEERFULNESS 

Behind, are the bleak, fallow years. 
Before, are the sea and the sky. 

We're away, with a truce to the tears. 
My heart, and my soul, and I. 

Robert Lovematiw 
^ ^ £^ 

Unenthusiastic natures! How much they must 
miss in life! Never elated by good fortune, nor 
astounded by a piece of news; always living on 
the dead, flat level of the commonplace! To be 
sure, it carries a certain air of impressiveness 
with it; this living above being agitated places 
the imperturbable people on heights which we 
effervescing ones cannot hope to scale. We envy 
while we pity them. It seems so superior to be 
able to sit aloft there and hear, unmoved, tid- 
ings which would set our hands to clapping and 
our heads to tossing. 

Jinon, 



Nobody is fully understood by anybody. The 
best friends are not so well known to each other 
that the veil of personality does not come be- 
tween them. A husband and wife live together 
half a century, yet, at the death of one, the other 
may discover that, after all, there were depths 
of character, thought, and feeling, never sounded 
in all those fifty years. We can never hope to 

83 



THE VALUE OF 

understand our dearest comrade perfectly until 
we " know fully." That knowledge God has re- 
served for himself, in order that he may be a 
more perfect friend to man than any other. 

Mnon, 



I told you once, sweet wife, long years ago. 
When all our blood thrilled with a youthful glow. 
That in the whole wide world naught could com- 
pare 
To the wild glory of your golden hair. 

Now a far other vision seems to rise. 

Nay! start not, dearest, with such wondering 

eyes. 
A deeper beauty I have learned to see: 
That silver gray far dearer is to me. 

Ji. M. Orpen, 



Life's features are so close to us that they often 
seem out of proportion. But the day and distance 
will come when we shall see how well balanced 
were all God's thoughts of us. The eye too close 
to a picture has no right to telegraph criticism 
about the painter's purpose or skill. Stand where 
the painter intended. Some views of life are 
never understood except in a review, some pros- 
pects or aspects never appreciated except in 
84 



CHEERFULNESS 

retrospect. Reserve your judgment. Time will 
vindicate God, and if it does not set you singing, 
eternity will. 

Maltbie Davenport Babcock, D. D. 



We are to be rewarded not only for work done, 
but for burdens borne, and I am not sure but that 
the brightest rewards will be for those who have 
borne burdens without murmuring. 

.Andrew Bonar, 
^ ^ ^& 

Oh, beware of touchiness, or testiness, not 
bearing to be spoken to, starting at the least 
word, and flying from those who do not implic- 
itly receive mine or another's sayings. 

John Wesley. 
<^ a^ ^ 

A SONG FOR SIMPLICITY 

A rose will wither, so will love, 

When love grows overwise. 
Keep all thy petals, O my heart. 

While the short summer flies! 

Let gladness be their gentle sun. 

And innocence their dew, 
Ask the warm April cain to fall, 

And wash all care from you. 



85 



THE VALUE OF 

And if Love went the truant way 
And you have lost his track, 

Be faithful to simplicity 

And you shall win him back. 

Hush! the soft fingers of desire 

Tap at the stoic will; 
Be very simple, O my heart. 

And Love will enter still. 

Frederic Lawrence IQnowles, 
d^ ^^ ^e^ 

Possess thy soul in calm. 
Let patience rule thy heart. 

And in gray shades of clouded times 
Bear thou the hero's part. 

Then shalt thou know the flush 

Of happy, radiant days; 
For he who trusts God in the dark 

Is taught new songs of praise. 

Jition, 
j& j^ ^& 

It would be a very unnatural child that would 

live in the same house with a kind father for 

years at a time and never talk with him, never 

thank him for blessings received, never counsel 

with him about the daily happenings of life, or 

ask for help in places of trial; and yet that is 

what people do who live in this world without 

praying to God. 

Louis Albert Banks. 

86 



illi 



CHEERFULNESS 

Happiness, grief, gaiety, sadness, are by nature 
contagious. Bring your health and your strength 
to the weak and sickly, and so you will be of use 
to them. Give them, not your weakness, but 
your energy, so you will revive them and lift 
them up. 

Mnon, 
<^ <^ <^ 

We thank thee, O Father, for all that is bright. 
The gleam of the day and the stars of the night; 
The flowers of our youth and the fruits of our 

prime 
And blessings that march down the pathway of 

time. 

We thank thee, O Father, for all that is drear — 
The sob of the tempest, the flow of the tear; 
For never in blindness and never in pain 
Thy mercy permitted a sorrow or pain. 

We thank thee, O Father of all, for the power 
Of aiding each other in life's darkest hour; 
The generous heart and the bountiful hand. 
And all the soul-help that sad souls understand. 

We thank thee, O Father, for days yet to be — - 
For hopes that our future will call us to thee; 
That all our eternity form, through thy love. 
One thanksgiving day in the mansions above. 

IVill Carteton. 

87 



THE VALUE OF 

How great are our personal blessings! You 
may think you have nothing to be thankful for. 
Your life is full of suffering and its song is a 
mournful plaint. But there is a thanksgiving for 
you, for there is one for everybody. *' Every life 
has that for which it may be grateful; more is 
left than is lost, in any event, and when all seems 
gone, it is only transferred to another and surer 
and eternal inheritance, to be one day for ever 
enjoyed. ' In everything give thanks.' " 

^non, 
^ ^ J^ 

If I were you, I would not worry. Just make 
up your mind to do better when you get another 
chance, and be content with that. 

Beatrice Harraden. 



Let us be thankful that our sorrow lives in us 
as an indestructible force, only changing its form 
and passing from pain into sympathy — the one 
word which includes all our best insight and our 
best love. 

George Eliot. 

^ <^ ^ 

A little London crossing-sweeper found an 
apple and offered a companion "a bite." The 
companion took a very moderate one, upon which 
the donor said: "You know you are welcome; 

88 



CHEERFULNESS 

bite bigger, Billy." If grown-up people were 

as generous as that waif, churches, hospitals, and 

the deserving poor would be welcome to bigger 

bites. 

The Quiver. 
<£^ £^ ^ 

To keep my health! 

To do my work! 

To live! 

To see to it I grow and gain and give! 

Never to look behind me for an hour! 

To wait in weakness and to walk in power. 

But always fronting forward to the light, 

Always and always facing toward the right. 

Robbed, starved, defeated, fallen, wide astray — 

On, with what strength I have! 

Back to the way! 

Charlotte Perkins Stetson. 



Spurgeon said: "Home is the grandest of all 
institutions." It is the keystone of the arch. No 
other place in all the world holds more sacred 
and helpful associations. The earliest influences 
for molding opinions and forming habits cannot 
be overestimated or superseded. In it is the real 
test of character. A bully at home will make a 
tyrant among men. A boy who is rude to his 
sister will by and by be discourteous to some 
one's else sister. The son who is a tyrant to 



THE VALUE OF 

mother will, after awhile, lord it over the fair 
one who becomes his wife. Home is the place for 
the smaller courtesies of life. How much they 
mean! A kind father, a loving husband, a dutiful 
son, a courteous brother; not obsequious, not 
churlish, not effeminate, but thoughtful, manly 
and polite. Our highest effort ought to be to 
please and gladden the family circle. Those 
nearest to us have stronger claims upon us than 
any other. To be considerate and gracious of 
speech toward those of our household is life's 
purest joy and highest service. Rudeness and in- 
civility ought to have no place in the home. 
Home-life ought not to be a drudgery. There is 
toil and care, the daily routine and daily wear, 
but withal there should be a sweet content, quiet 
trust and buoyant hope. 

** Make home a hive where all beautiful feelings 
Cluster like bees and their honey-dew bring; 
Make it a temple of holy revealings 

And love its bright angels with shadowy wing. 
" Then will it be, when afar on life's billows, 
Wherever your tempest-tossed children are 
flung, 
They will long for the shade of the home weep- 
ing-willows. 
And sing the sweet songs which their mother 
had sung." 

Rev. Ji. C. Welch. 

90 



CHEERFULNESS 

Remember constantly that God's loving eyes 
are upon you amid all these little worries and 
vexations, watching whether you take them as 
he would desire. Offer up all such occasions to 
him; and, if sometimes you are put out and give 
way to impatience, do not be discouraged, but 
make haste to regain your lost composure. 

Francis De Sales. 

^^ ^^ «^^ 

"The people whom I most dread as guests,'* 
remarked a woman, noted for her generous hos- 
pitality, "are those who have no capacity for 
small pleasures." Any one who is accustomed to 
entertain much will easily recognize the class to 
which the speaker referred. They are the persons 
who are restless unless something is continually 
" going on," as they express it. They cannot 
enter the quiet enjoyments of the family in which 
they are visiting. A walk, with no special object 
in view, is to them the tamest sort of recreation. 
They cannot understand another's delight in find- 
ing a new flower; they wonder why you go out 
on the veranda to view a fine sunset; the arrival 
of a new book — these are trifles beneath their 
notice. If there are children in the household, 
they pay no attention to their little ambitions 
and accomplishments. Mary's amateur playing, 
or John's crude attempts at painting, have little 
interest to the visitor who has no gift for finding 

91 



THE VALUE OF 

happiness in small pleasures, but to find it thus 
enables people to grow old gracefully, and in 
every way is a gift worth cultivating. Many of 
us are grumblers, but few of us use to the full 
the resources of happiness that are available. 
Happiness depends upon the treatment of what 
we have, and not of what we have not. .Happi- 
ness is made, and not found. .It comes from 
within, and not from without. The poet teaches 
us that, if we would after a certain age find en- 
joyment in life, we must become again like little 
children, open our hearts to the healing influences 
of nature, and cease to despise simple pleasures. 

E.J. Hardy. 
J» ^^ JS^ 

Don't be waiting till the sorrow 

All has passed away; 
Don't be waiting till to-morrow. 

Smile a bit to-day. 
When the clouds all dull and dreary 

Hang about the earth. 
That is when a greeting cheery 

Counts for what it's worth. 

Ernest Cilmore, 
J^ ^ ^ 

Who may with the shrewd hours strive? 

Too thrifty dealers they. 
That with the one hand blandly give, 

With the other take away. 

92 



CHEERFULNESS 

And glitters there some falling flake, 

Some dust of gold, between 
The hands that give and hands that take 

Slipped noiseless and unseen. 

Ah, comedy of bargainings! 

Whose gain of years we found 
A little silt of golden things 

Forgotten on the ground. 

Mrthur Cotton. 
^ J^ ^& 

A woman whose life has been long checkered 
with many reverses, said lately : " Nothing has 
given me more courage to face every day's 
duties and troubles than a few words spoken 
to me when I was a child by my old father. He 
was the village doctor. I came into his office, 
where he was compounding medicine one day, 
looking cross and ready to cry. 

" * What is the matter, Mary? 

" * I'm tired ! I've been making beds and wash- 
ing dishes all day and every day, and what good 
does it do? .To-morrow the beds will be to make 
and the dishes to wash over again.' 

" * Look, my child,* he said, * do you see these 
empty vials? They are all insignificant, cheap 
things, of no value in themselves; but in one I 
put a deadly poison, in another a sweet perfume, 
in a third a healing medicine. 

93 



THE VALUE OF 

"'Nobody cares for the vials; it is that which 
they carry which kills or cures. Your daily work, 
the dishes washed or unwashed, or the floors 
swept, are homely things, and count for nothing 
in themselves; but it is the anger or the sweet 
patience or zeal or high thoughts that you put 
into them that shall last. These make your 
life.' " 

No strain is harder upon the young than to be 

forced to do work which they feel is beneath 

their facilities, yet no discipline is more helpful. 

" The wise builder," says Bolton, " watches not 

the bricks which his journeyman lays, but the 

manner in which he lays them." 

Mnon, 
j& ^ j& 

We thank thee, then, O Father, 

For all things bright and good, 
The seed-time and the harvest. 

Our life, our health, our food. 
No gifts have we to offer 

For all thy love imparts. 
But that which thou desirest. 

Our humble, thankful hearts. 

Matthias Claudius. 
£^ J^ <^ 

The richest experiences of life never come to 
those who try to win them selfishly. 

Jitina K' Brown. 

94 



CHEERFULNESS 

It is with narrow-souled people as with narrow- 
necked bottles — the less they have in them the 
more noise they make in pouring out. 

Pope, 
j^ ^& ^ 

Beloved, let us love so well, 
Our work shall still be better for our love. 
And still our love be sweeter for our work. 

Elizabeth Barrett Browning. 



There is ever a song somewhere, my dear, 

There is ever a something sings alway; 
There's the song of the lark when skies are clear, 

And the song of the thrush when skies are gray. 
The sunshine showers across the grain. 

And the bluebird trills in the orchard tree; 
And night and day, when the leaves drip rain, 

The swallows are twittering ceaselessly. 

There is ever a song somewhere, my dear. 

Be the skies above or dark or fair; 
There is ever a song that our hearts may hear — 
There is ever a song somewhere, my dear — 

There is ever a song somewhere. 

There is ever a song somewhere, my dear, 

In the midnight black or the midday blue; 1 

The robin pipes when the sun is here. 
And the cricket chirps the whole night through. 

95 



THE VALUE OF 

The buds may blow and the fruit may grow, 
And the autumn leaves drop crisp and sere; 

But, whether the sun or the rain or the snow, 
There is ever a song somewhere, my dear. 

James Whitcomb Riley, 



Life is a business we are all apt to mismanage; 
either living recklessly from day to day, or suffer- 
ing ourselves to be gulled out of our moments by 
the inanities of custom. We should despise a 
man who gave as little activity and forethought 
to the conduct of any other business. . . . We 
cannot see the forest for the trees. . . . And it is 
only on rare provocation that we can rise to take 
an outlook beyond daily concerns. 

R. L» Stevenson: 
j& jE^ «^ 

The only sure way to get rid of a past is by get- 
ting a future out of it. I am sure it would help us 
if we could only see that often sin is a perversion 
of good; that, as is often the case, the very sin 
came from a part of our nature that God made 
— a sense of justice, strong affections, or some- 
thing that, if only turned in the right direction, 
would have made us whole. Don't think there 
is no good in you; there is, or there would be 
nothing to appeal to. 



Phillips Brooks. 



96 



^^ M^ 



^ 
^ 



f5 « 



CHEERFULNESS 

If one should give me a dish of sand and tell 
me there were particles of iron in it, I might lool 
for them with my eyes and search for them withj 
my clumsy fingers and be unable to detect them; 
but let me take a magnet and sweep through it, 
and how would it draw to itself the most invisi- 
ble particles by the mere power of attraction! 
The unthankful heart, like my finger in the sand, 
discovers no mercies, but let the thankful heart 
sweep through the day, as the magnet finds thej 
iron, so it will find in every hour some heavenlj 
blessings; only the iron in God's sand is gold.^ 

Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



" I jist likes to let her in at the door," said an 
Irish servant one day, of a woman I know, 
whose face was always cheery and bright ; " the 
face of her does one good, shurre! " 

I said if there were only a recipe — a sure and 
certain recipe — for making a cheery person, we 
would all be glad to try it. There is no such 
recipe, and perhaps if there were, it is not quite 
certain that we would all try it. It would take 
time and trouble. Cheeriness cannot be taught 
like writing. It lies so deep that no surface rules 
of behaviour, no description ever so minute of 
what it is or is not, does or does not do, can ever 
enable a person to " take it up " and " master " it, 

97 






If 



I 






V 



^-^^ 





THE VALUE OF 

like a trade or a study. I believe that it is, in the 
outset, a good gift from God at one's birth, very 
much dependent on one's body, and a thing to 
be more profoundly grateful for than all that 
genius ever inspired, or talent ever accomplished. 
This is natural, spontaneous, inevitable cheeriness. 
This, if we were not born with it, we cannot 
have. But next best to this is deliberate, intended 
and persistent cheeriness, which we can create, 
can cultivate, and can so foster and cherish, that 
after a few years the world will never suspect 
that it was not a hereditary gift handed down 
to us from generations. To do this, we have 
only to watch the cheeriest people we know and 
follow their example. We shall see, first, that the 
cheery person never minds — or if he minds, 
never says a word about — small worries, vexa- 
tions, perplexities. Second, that he is brimful 
of sympathy in other people's gladness; he is 
heartily, genuinely glad of every bit of good luck 
or joy which comes to other people. Thirdly, 
he has a keen sense of humour and never lets 
any droll thing escape him; he thinks it worth 
while to laugh and to make everybody about him 
laugh at every amusing thing; no matter how 
small, he has his laugh, and a good hearty laugh, 
too, and tries to make everybody share it. 

Patience, sympathy and humour — these are the 
three most manifest traits in the cheery person. 



ii\T 



>J 



CHEERFULNESS 

But there is something else, which is more an 
emotion than a trait, more a state of feeling than 
a quality of mind. This is lovingness. This is the 
secret, so far as there is a secret; this is the real 
point of difference between the mirth of the witty 
and sarcastic person, which does us no good, 
and the mirth of the cheery person, which " doeth 
good like a medicine." 

Mnon, 
^ <^ ^ 

Just a little every day — 

That's the way! 
Seeds in darkness swell and grow; 
Tiny blades push through the snow; 

Never any flower of May 
Leaps to blossom in a burst — 
Slowly, slowly, as the first. 

That's the way. 
Just a little every day. 

Just a little every day — 

That's the way. 
Children learn to read and write 
Bit by bit and mite by mite; 

Never any one, I say. 
Leaps to knowledge and its power; 
Slowly, slowly, hour by hour. 

That's the way, 
Just a little every day. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox. 
99 



Lof 




THE VALUE OF 

Love is, and was my king and lord, 
And will be, though as yet I keep 
Within his court on earth, and sleep 

Encompassed by his faithful guard. 

And hear at times a sentinel 
Who moves about from place to place. 
And whispers to the worlds of space, 

In the deep night, that all is well. 

Tennyson. 



We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a 
great man, without gaining something by him. 
He is the living life-fountain, which it is good 
and pleasant to be near; the light which en- 
lightens, which has enlightened, the darkness of 
the world; and this not as a kindling lamp 
only, but rather as a natural luminary, shining 
by the gift of heaven; a flowing light fountain, 
as I say, of native original insight, of manhood 
and heroic nobleness, in whose radiance all souls 
feel that it is well with them. 

Carlyte, 



"^ There are some persons — would that their 
numbers were greater — who magnify the virtues 
of people. They have a talent for seeing the good 
and the commendable in any deed or character. 
Apparently they are incapable of the mean art 




¥4# 



CHEERFULNESS 

of disparagement. Consequently they are sought 

out as friends and they are looked up to as in- 

spirers. Theirs is the better part, for they 

become sharers of the virtues which they 

emphasize and help to keep alive, if not to 

create. 

Selected, 
<^ d& ^ 

I've heard it said since I was born, 
That every rose must have its thorn, 

No matter where it grows. 
It may be so; I'll not deny. 
But this is quite as true, say I, 

Each thorn, too, has its rose. 

,Anon. 
^^ ^ ^ 

If young people only knew the worth of their 
youth, and understood how it might be enhanced 
and glorified by the seeking of knowledge and 
the giving of service, they would no longer delay 
to appropriate their inheritance. Will not some 
faithful soul make each one of these to under- 
stand? The days pass. 

Jinon. 
^ ^ ^ 

There is a pity in forgotten things, 

Banished the heart they can no longer fill. 
Since restless Fancy, spreading swallow wings. 
Must seek new pleasure still! 

lOI 



J.H8-s^ 



'i^^.f' 



"% 



<^* 



"m 



THE VALUE OF 

There is a patience, too, in things forgot; 

They wait — they find the portal long unused; 
And knocking there, it shall refuse them not — 
Nor aught shall be refused! 

Ah, yes! though we, unheeding years on years, 

In alien pledges spend the heart's estate. 
They bide some blessed moment of quick tears — 
Some moment without date. 

Edith M. Thomas, 



It was not easy just at first, for she had never 
been in a hospital before. It wasn't the strange 
odour of antiseptics that made her hesitate at 
the door of a ward, but it was a sudden realiza- 
tion of the amount of patient misery in that long 
room full of cots, where each patient was 
smoothed down and tucked in to look like a lay- 
figure. It was the eager, pain-haunted eyes that 
turned on her and made her wonder if she had a 
right to force herself on strangers in suffering. 

With a great effort she approa<;hed a cot where 
the eyes drew her the strongest, and asked, in the 
gentlest voice, if she might read aloud a little 
story she had with her. " Please," was all the 
woman said, but that was enough, and the reading 
began. The short story finished, there was a 
little conversation, sympathy on the girl's part, 
confidence on the woman's, and lo! a miracle was 

102 




w 



CHEERFULNESS 

wrought, the two were friends who an hour be- 
fore had not known one another. And the girl 
had learned how to help others, and thus to for- 
get her own indefinite longings. 

Jinon, 



Be merry, man, and take not sair to mind 

The wavering of this wretched world of sor- 
row: 
To God be humble, to thy friend be kind. 

And with thy neighbours gladly lend and bor- 
row: 
His chance to-night, it may be thine to-morrow: 

Be blyth in hearte for any aventure, 
How oft with wise men it has been said aforow, 

Without gladness availes no treasure. 

IVm. Dunbar, 1479. 



We housekeepers are too apt to think of our 
vocation as embodying much that is simple, 
trivial, petty; a daily round of "pottering," "no 
account " duties that has nothing to show for it 
at set of sun. 

" I have worked so hard all day," sighs one 
tired woman, " and it seems to me I haven't 
accomplished a single thing." 

" A galley-slave life," groans another, " rising 
up and sitting down, doing the same things over 
103 

*^ 




^& 




THE VALUE OF 

and over again, with no prospect of ever getting 
through." 

Courage, sisters! "Tedious iteration" there 
may be. The same dishes to wash three times 
a day. The same tangled curls to brush and 
dirty little faces and hands to bathe and kiss each 
night and morning. The same lamps to fill, vege- 
tables to prepare, floors to sweep, rooms to dust, 
insects to circumvent, table to set, cooky-jar to 
fill, day in and day out. 

The same linen to make sweet and clean and 
comfortable every week. The same stockings to 
mend, tears to darn, little garments to make and 
keep in order month after month. But these are 
not trivial tasks. 

Upon their faithful, loving performance rests 
that most beautiful superstructure, the happy, 
well-ordered home, which Beecher says should 
be an ovation to the memory singing to all our 
after-life melodies and harmonies of old-remem- 
bered joys. 

Let us then magnify our office, realizing that 
with this end in view what might otherwise be 
drudgery becomes but a part of the divine plan. 

Philadelphia Inquirer. 



^j-~ Blest be that spot where cheerful guests retire ^^^^^ 

'iS Z . _ \\ * "^o pause from toil and trim their evening fire; ' ^^^^^^/L 



1 




CHEERFULNESS 



Blest that abode, where want and pam repair. 

And every stranger finds a ready chair: 

Blest be those feasts with simple plenty crown'd. 

Where all the ruddy family around 

Laugh at the jest or pranks, that never fail, 

Or sigh with pity at some mournful tale. 

Or press the bashful stranger to his food. 

And learn the luxury of doing good. 

Oliver Goldsmith. 

^ ^& ^ 

The spirit of God is the bringer of joy, but the 
spirit of man is the transmitter of cheer for other 
men. Make yourselves good conductors of the joy 
of God, if you pretend to love your friends. 

Mnon. 




The foundation of content must spring up in 
a man's own mind; and he who has so little 
knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness 
by changing anjrthing but his own disposition, 
will waste his life in fruitless efforts, and multiply 
the griefs which he purposes to remove. 

Samuel Johnson, 



klVX 



^1#^ 



The happiest heart that ever beat 

Was in some quiet breast 
That found the common daylight sweet 

And left to heaven the rest. 




John Vance Cheney* 



IDS 



f- 



>^»<^ 




THE VALUE OF 



And oh! when others take our place. 

And earth's green curtain hides our face. 
Ere on the stage, so silent now, 

The last new hero makes his bow: 
So may our deeds, recalled once more 

In memory's sweet but brief encore, 
Down all the circling ages run. 

With the world's plaudit of " Well done ! " 

Harte. 
^ ^ ^ 



Remember, in the spiritual life there are 
recreations, but there are no holidays. That 
school breaks up but once, and the home after- 
ward is eternal. 

Faher* 



^^ 



To be everywhere and everything in sympathy 
and yet content to remain where and what you are 
— is not this to know both wisdom and virtue 
and to dwell with happiness? 

R. h. Stevenson, 
^ ^ ^ 



I have no sympathy with those who are always 
bewailing " the good old times." My dear sir, the 
good new times, thank God, are a great deal 
better; and they are going to be a great deal 
better still. 

Mark Guy Pearsei 

io6 



A 




CHEERFULNESS 

Through love to light! Oh, wonderful the way 
That leads from darkness to the perfect day! 
From darkness and from sorrow of the night 
To morning that comes singing o'er the sea. 
Through love to light! Through light, O God, to 

thee 
Who art the love of love, the eternal light of light. 

R. W. Gilder. 



Trust thyself. Accept the place the divine 
providence has found for you, the society of your 
contemporaries, the connection of events. 

Emerson, 
^e^ £^ jB^ 

Go before no man with trembling, but know 
well that all events are indifferent and nothing to 
thee. For whatever it may be, it shall lie with 
thee to use it nobly: this no man can prevent. 

Epictetus, 

J^ jE^ £^ 

No matter how depressed you feel, 

Look cheerful ! 
A gloomy face is ungenteel. 

Look cheerful! 
Nobody cares about your woes, 
Each has his sorrows, goodness knows! 
So why should you your grief disclose? 

Look cheerful! 
107 



r 



m 



THE VALUE OF 

Though you are blue as indigo, 

Look cheerful! 
You're prettier when you smile, you know! 

Look cheerful! 
The world abhors a gloomy face, 
And tales of woe are commonplace. 
So stir yourself, and take a brace — 

Look cheerful! 

Mnon, 



Mrs. Wiggs, in the story of " Lovey Mary," says 
some very amusing things, a few of which we 
quote : 

" I've made it a practice to put all my worries 
down in the bottom of my heart, then set on the 
lid an' smile." 

" You never kin tell which way any pleasure is 
a-comin*. Whoever would 'a' thought when we 
aimed at the cemetery that we'd land up at a first- 
class fire?" 

" I b'lieve in havin' a good time when you start 
out to have it. If you git knocked out of one plan, 
you want to git yerself another right quick, be- 
fore yer sperrits has a chance to fall." 

" The way to get cheerful is to smile when you 
feel bad, to think about somebody else's headache 
when your own is 'most bustin', to keep on be- 
lievin* the sun is a-shinin' when the clouds is 
thick enough to cut." 

io8 



.^ 




CHEERFULNESS 



yT^^i 



" Don't you go an' git sorry fer yerself. That's 
one thing I can't stand in nobody. There's always 
lots of other folks you kin be sorry fer 'stid of 
yerself. Ain't you proud you ain't got a harelip? 
Why, that one thought is enough to keep me from 
ever gettin' sorry fer myself." 



,r 



Did you ever stop and think how a cheery word 
spoken by wife or husband in the morning, as the 
husband goes out to the busy cares of the day, 
will follow the one spoken to through the entire 
day? It may be some word of compliment from 
the husband about the " good breakfast " pro- 
vided by the wife. It may be a kind suggestion 
from the husband — " Don't undertake too much 
work and get sick. I hope the time will come 
when I can hire some one." On the other hand, 
how much heart-pain can be caused by a snap or 
snarl at the breakfast hour. The words of fault- 
finding will ring in the ears the livelong day. As 
you begin the day let the sunshine into the soul, 
and don't be selfish about it, but let a little out 
now and then in direct reflection upon those 
about you. Smile as you pass by. Speak and 
smile to children, and try to encourage him who 
toils by your side in less fortunate circumstances 
than you are surrounded by. 

] Mnon, 
109 




\k 



li 



1) 




^l!ii/l 



m 



I& 



THE VALUE OF 

When the skies are full of light, 
Over fields of blossoms bright, 
While the stars smile down at night 

On a sea like glass, 
Let no apprehension rise 
For the future overwise; 
Never seek with anxious eyes 

Shadows in the grass; 
Sorrow meet with scanty sighs. 
It will pass. 



If the sullen wind is drear, 
Keep a hope undimmed by fear; 
Add not to the rain a tear, 

Murmur not, " Alas ! " 
Be a soldier, not a saint — 
Fighters have not time to faint. 
Greet the cloud with no complaint. 

Flout the frowning mass; 
On its brow a rainbow paint,* 
It will pass. 



..J^^ 



Samuel Minium Peck* 



Oh, to be up and doing, Oh, 
Unfearing and unshamed to go 
In all the uproar and the press 
About my human business! 
My undissuaded heart I hear 
Whisper courage in my ear. 






y 



CHEERFULNESS 



Thou, O my love, ye, O my friends — 
The gist of life, the end of ends — 
To laugh, to love, to live, to die, 
Ye call me by the ear and eye! 

Robert Louis Stevenson^ 



i 




Yes, clean yer house, an' clean yer shed. 

An* clean yer barn in ev'ry part; 
But brush the cobwebs from yer head, 

An' sweep the snowbanks from yer heart. 
Yes, w'en spring cleanin* comes aroun'. 

Bring forth the duster an' the broom, 
But rake yer foggy notions down, 

An' sweep yer dusty soul of gloom. 

Jam Walter Foss. 



Let us live in the country, drink water from 
deep wells, spend much time outdoors, count it 
a sin to be nervous, shun worry, which is the 
modern form the devil assumes, sleep long in 
fresh air, live in plain houses on well-drained 
hills, eat plain food and ripe fruit, keep our 
skins clean and keep them whole, regard good 
digestion as the mark of a gentleman — then we 
shall play with our great-grandchildren, and we 
shall see the fulfilment in octogenarian prime of 
the enthusiasms that stirred us in boyhood. 

Mnon, 




m 



14 



THE VALUE OF 

Out of the world, swiftly, softly, like the vanish- 
ing of a snowflake, passed a beautiful girl a few 
weeks ago. Strong in her feelings, her likes and 
dislikes, she yet was singularly gentle in manner 
always, and only her going showed with how 
many lives she had linked herself. 

" I cannot remember her ever saying an unkind 
word of any one," said one of a group of girl 
friends who were talking of her one day. 

" She never did," was the prompt reply. 

Never an unkind comment to be remembered 
when the voice which could not recall or change 
it was silenced! Never a prejudice awakened 
by word of hers to go on doing its work in the 
world, biasing, perhaps unjustly, the opinion of 
others, and hurting some one by its weight! No 
barbed arrow of ridicule or sarcasm to continue 
its mission of harm! Was it any wonder that 
one of the girls said afterward : " I thought 
that was such a beautiful thing to say! I know 
I speak a good many sharp, cutting words about 
people and things that don*t please me — most of 
us do — but it made me wish I could leave a rec- 
ord like hers." 

Mnon. 



The little sharp vexatir is, 

And the briers that atch and fret 
Why not take all to the Helper 

Who has never failed us yet? 

112 







"Jk 



-#--1^ 



Il^ 



CHEERFULNESS 

Tell him about the heartache, 
And tell him the longings, too; 

Tell him the baffled purpose 
When we scarce knew what to do. 

Then, leaving all our weakness 
With the One divinely strong, 

Forget that we bore the burden, 
And carry away the song. 

Phillips Brooks, 




Yes, I know that you have had much sorrow — 
not alone because you tell me of it, but because 
of the kindly tone pervading your letter. I always 
know that one has suffered when I get the im- 
pression of kindness and sympathy from him. 
Petty cares and troubles often embitter one, but 
great suffering and pain develop the feeling of 
human brotherhood. I doubt very much whether 
one has ever progressed except through pain. In 
the voices of the great souls of all ages may be 
heard a suggestion of the minor note. Those who 
have suffered — who have felt the deadly grip 
upon the heart — understand their fellow men and 
women, and find it easjf to speak the kindly word, 
send the loving glance, pf the eye, give the warm 
hand-clasp. Their blood is warm, and their 
hearts beat strong — they understand without be- 

13 .:• 





THE VALUE OF 

ing told. Much of the best in life has come to 
us through sorrow — when we understand this 
we know many things. I send to you, and to all 
like you, a word of cheer and fellowship and a 
hearty hand-clasp. 

" Atew Thought." 
J^ J^ ^ 

Do you ever think, you young people, how 
much you might add to the cheer and enjoyment 
of the home circle by treasuring and recounting 
the odd, funny, pathetic, or interesting little hap- 
penings of any sort that cross your path each 
day? In the street, in the car, wherever you are 
at work or study, in what you see, or in the chat 
of acquaintances, these varied bits of life come to 
you, and if you will but form the habit of remem- 
bering them, and learn the art of telling them, 
your presence will sweeten and gladden the 
whole life of the home. . 

Such gleanings are not mere trifles. The hearty 

laugh, the act of heroism, the little glimpses into 

other lives, all have their mission and bear many 

a message of hope and encouragement that the 

messenger does not know. 

Jinon. 
j^ j^ ^ 

Though we travel the world over to find the 
beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it 
not. 

Emerson. 
114 



CHEERFULNESS 

Be Strong! 
We are not here to play, to dream, to drift. 
We have hard work to do, and loads to lift. 
Shun not the struggle; face it. 'Tis God's gift. 

Be strong! 
Say not the days are evil — Who's to blame? 
And fold the hands and acquiesce — O shame! 
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God's name. 

Be strong! 
It matters not how deep intrenched the wrong. 
How hard the battle goes, the day, how long. 
Faint not, fight on! To-morrow comes the song. 

Maltble D. Babcock, 
J& j& ^& 

Thank God every morning when you get up 
that you have something to do that day which 
must be done, whether you like it or not. Being 
forced to work and forced to do your best will 
breed in you temperance, self-control, diligence, 
strength of will, content, and a hundred virtues 
which the idle will never know. 

Charles IQingstey. 
d^ ^ i^ 

One day at a time — why seek to live 
Beyond the space which the minutes give? 
Why borrow care, and the present spoil 
Because to-morrow will bring its toil? 

"5 



l\ 



THE VALUE OF 

One day at a time — why sigh and fret 
Through its precious tide in such vain regret 
O'er the old mistake, or the grievous wrong. 
When past mistakes to the past belong? 

One day at a time — why worry so, 
When few there be ere we're called to go? 
Why not endeavour with all our powers 
To make the most of life's fleeting hours? 

One day at a time — why bottle up 
The poison found in some bitter cup? 
We tasted once, and it caused us pain, 
Then why preserve it to drink again? 

One day at a time — why let some blight 
iV Descend like a pall on its golden light? 

Why gather the thistle, the weed, the rue. 
When flowers are blooming of every hue? 

\.wi//i3 

One day at a time to work or weep, 
,.... Ere falls the night, with its boon of sleep. 
While friends abide and the sunbeams fall. 
There is something pleasant in life for all. 

'Tis an old refrain oft sung by bard, 

In preaching easy, in practice hard, 

A wholesome lesson for you and me, 

Which we seldom heed, though its truth we see. 



\ 



Isadore Parker Merrill. 

ii6 



#: 



.ff^'/f 




■^Ch 



CHEERFULNESS 

Do you know people who are as good as gold^ 
who have odd little ways of their own, little fail- 
ings that annoy and inconvenience their friends? 
Some have trying little habits that rasp others and 
put them in a fidget much as they love those who 
are unconsciously guilty of the small exaspera- 
tions. Some are absent-minded and forgetful, 
others have trifling tricks of manner that make 
their friends exclaim inwardly, " Oh, I wish you 
wouldn't ! " 

There are foibles as well as faults; there are 
weaknesses as well as wilfulnesses, and all these 
must be borne with. .In some cases they may be 
corrected, but oftener these small idiosyncrasies 
are fixed in the character, are flaws even in the 
fine gold. We must make the best of them; we 
must make the most of the gold and not magnify 
what mars it. 

Jinon. 
^& ^ ^ 

I make no murmur nor complain; 
Above me are the stars and blue. 
Alluring far to grand refrain; 
Before, the beautiful and true, 
To love, or hate, to win or lose; 
Lo, I will now arise and choose. 

Joaquin Miller, 
<& ^ J^ 

You gave on the way a pleasant smile 
And thought no more about it; 
117 



^ 



THE VALUE OF 

It cheered a life that was sad the while 

That might have been wrecked without it; 
And so for the smile and its fruitage fair 
You'll reap a palm sometime — somewhere. 

You spoke one day a cheering word 

And passed to other duties; 
It warmed a heart, new promise stirred. 
And painted a life with beauties. 

And so for the word and its silent prayer 
You'll re&p a crown sometime — somewhere^ 

You lent a hand to a fallen one, 

A lift in kindness given; 
It saved a soul when help was none 
And won a heart for heaven; 
And so for the help you proffered there 
You'll reap a joy sometime — somewhere. 

D. G. Bickers, 

^E^ J^ ^ 

What do we live for if not to make the world 

less difficult for each other? 

George Eliot. 
j& J^ ^ 

SINGING STILL 

Winnowed by the wings of swallows 
Gleams the soft sky childhood knew; 

Spring returns and summer follows. 
And the winter whitens too. 
ii8 



CHEERFULNESS 

Ploughs forsake no April furrows, 

Still the sunset wraps the hill; — 
Oh, the heart of earth is singing. 
Singing still! 

Look! the roses clasp and clamber! — 
Once they climbed our mother's porch; 

Sunrise has the same clear amber. 
Noonday holds no colder torch. 



Care the glad bees what comes after 

If the lilacs only blow? 
Hush! these brooks are wild with laughter 

At their jest of long ago! 
Could we but relearn this music ! — 

And with boyhood's artless skill 
Keep our heart with earth's still singing, 
Singing still! 

Frederic Lawrence ICnowlea. 



To maintain oneself on this earth is not a hard- 
ship but a pastime, if one will live simply and 
wisely. 

Thoreau, 
^ ^ ^ 

The only way to have a friend is to be one. 

Emerson, 

119 



^ 



.'■■ V 



w 




w 



THE VALUE OF 

Only a little shrivelled seed — 
It might be a flower, or grass, or weed; 
Only a box of earth on the edge 
Of a narrow, dusty window-ledge; 
Only a few scant summer showers; 
Only a few clear, shining hours — 
That was all. Yet God could make 
Out of these, for a sick child's sake, 
A blossom-wonder as fair and sweet 
As ever broke at an angel's feet. 

Only a life of barren pain. 
Wet with sorrowful tears for rain; 
Warmed sometimes by a wandering gleam 
Of joy that seemed but a happy dream. 
A life as common and brown and bare 
As the box of earth in the window there; 
Yet it bore at last the precious bloom 
Of a perfect soul in a narrow room — 
Pure as the snowy leaves that fold 
Over the flower's heart of gold. 

Henry Van Dyke* 



If it be my lot to crawl, I will crawl content- 
edly; if to fly, I will fly with alacrity; but, as long 
as I can avoid it, I will never be unhappy. 

Sydney Smith, 



M 




Write it on your heart that every day is the 
j#? best day of the year. k:«^««« 



120 




"^. 






CHEERFULNESS 



# 



^¥ 



The wealth of a man is the number of things 
he loves and blesses, which he is loved and blessed 
by. 

Carlyle. 

jS^ J^ <^ 

Happiness is a great love and much serving. 

Olive Schreiner. 

J^ a^ £/' 

A haze on the far horizon, 

An infinite tender sky, 
- And ripe, rich tints in the corn-field, 

And wild geese sailing high, 
And all over upland and lowland 

The charm of the goldenrod, — 
Some of us call it autumn; 

But others call it God. 

William H. Carruth, 



.1. 






Edward Everett Hale's three rules of life are 
well put: 

First, live as much as possible in the open air; 
second, touch elbows with the rank and file; 
third, talk every day with a man whom you know 
is your superior. 



Make your failure tragical by the earnestness 
of your endeavour and then it will not differ from 
success. ^^ 

Thoreau. 




■'7 



THE VALUE OF 

The world hath many gracious hearts 

And kindnesses and gold; 
But sometimes in a little song 

There is a power untold: 
You may not measure it by rule. 

Or any line of art, 
But oft the singing of a song 

Hath cheered a weary heart 

If in its rh3rthmic cadences 

Are faith, and hope, and love; 
If peace abide within its tones. 

Like wings of sheltering dove. 
Then hath that little song a power, 

A comfort, sweet and true; 
And 'tis worth while to sing that song — 

I think so; do not you? 

M. D. Totman, 
^ ^& ^ 

Our ideals are our possibilities. 

Mnon, 

j& «^ ^ 

As you sit there by the window of life, let no 
wrinkle furrow your brow. Calmly observe, 
though before your mind should pass sensations 
of the most intensely discomforting nature. Wait 
with the patience of one who is content to let 
Nature complete her task though it require a 
million years. __ ^. „, «. 

-' Horatio W. Dresser. 





CHEERFULNESS 

Out of the lowest depths there is a path to the 
loftiest height. 

Carlyle. 
j^ ^ j^ 

We take our share in fretting, 
Of grieving and forgetting, 
The paths are often rough and steep, and heed- 
less feet may fall. 

But yet the days are cheery. 
And nights bring rest when weary, 
And somehow this old planet is a good world 
after all. 

Though sharp may be our trouble. 
The joys are more than double. 
The brave surpass the cowards, and the leal are 
like a wall 

To guard their dearest ever, 
To fail the feeblest never; 
And somehow this old earth remains a bright 
world, after all. 

There's always love that's caring. 
And shielding and forbearing. 
Dear woman's love to hold us close and keep our 
hearts in thrall; 

There's home to share together. 
In calm or stormy weather, 
And somehow this old planet is a good world, 
after all 

123 



THE VALUE OF 

The lisp of children's voices, 
The chance of happy choices, 
The bugle-sounds of hope and faith, through fogs 
and mists that call; 

The heaven that stretches o'er us. 
The better days before us, 
They all combine to make this earth a good world, 
after all. 

Margaret E. Songster, 

^ jE^ <^ 

Not failure, but low aim is crime. 

Lowell, 
^ ^^ J^ 

How deep is love, my heart? 

As deep as this dark blue sea. 
How wide is love, my life? 

As wide as this world can be. 
How high is love, my soul? 

As high as the stars we see 

That nightly watch both him and me. 

Go tell my friend, ye waves. 
Of your bottomless depths of love. 

world-wide space, thy message, too. 
And a hint of love from the stars above 

1 would send him across the blue. 

How long will such love last, my friend? 

Till sea, and stars, and time shall end. 

IVill AT. Jkndorsen, 
124 




CHEERFULNESS 



It is not enough to be industrious; so are the 
ants. What are you industrious about? 

Thoreau. 



O, yet we trust that somehow good 
Will be the final goal of ill, 
To pangs of nature, sins of will. 

Defects of doubt, and taints of blood; 



ti 



r 



i 



That nothing walks with aimless feet; 
That not one life shall be destroyed, 
Or cast as rubbish to the void, 

When God hath made the pile complete. 

That not a worm is cloven in vain; 

That not a moth with vain desire 

Is shrivelled in a fruitless fire, 
Or but subserves another's gain. 

Tennyson 



It is a commonplace, that we cannot answer 
for ourselves before we have been tried. But it 
is not so common a reflection, and surely more 
consoling, that we usually find ourselves a great 
deal braver and better than we thought. I be- 
lieve this is every one's experience; but an appre- 
hension that they may belie themselves in the 
future prevents mankind from trumpeting this ■ // 
cheerful sentiment abroad. I wish sincerely, for 




lit 



n 




% 



THE VALUE OF 

it would have saved me much trouble, there had 
been some one to put me in a good heart about life 
when I was younger; to tell me how dangers are 
most portentous on a distant sight; and how the 
good in a man's spirit will not suffer itself to be 
overlaid, and rarely or never deserts him in the 
hour of need. 

tiobert Louis Stevenson, 
<^ <^ ^ 

When one steps into the solitude, one passes 
from time to eternity, where there is no age, 
neither beginning nor ending, sorrow nor strife — 
simply existence, peaceful, restful, calm and free. 

Horatio W. Dresser. 

4^ 4^ <^ 



Never be discouraged because good things get 
on so slowly here; and never fail to do daily that 
good which lies next to your hand. Do not be in 
a hurry, but be diligent. Enter into the sublime 
patience of the Lord. 

George MacDonald, 



I am not careful for what may be a hundred 
years hence. He who governed the world before 
I was born shall take care of it likewise when I 
am dead. My part is to improve the present mo- 
ment. 




m)r 



John Wesley. 



126 




CHEERFULNESS 



He's truly valiant, that can wisely suffer 

The worst that man can breathe; and make his 
wrongs 

His outsides; wear them like his raiment, care- 
lessly : 

And ne'er prefer his injuries to his heart. 

To bring it into danger. 

Shakespeare. 

^ J^ 40^ 

The only cure for indolence is work; the only 
cure for selfishness is sacrifice; the only cure for 
unbelief is to shake off the ague of doubt by do- 
ing Christ's bidding; the only cure for timidity 
is to plunge into some dreadful duty before the 
chill comes on. 

Ktt-therford.. 



Little self-denials, little honesties, little passing 
words of sympathy, little nameless acts of kind- 
ness, little silent victories over favourite tempta- 
tion — these are the silent threads of gold which, 
when woven together, gleam out so brightly in the 



pattern of life that God approves. 



Canon Parrar, 



It is not death to die!" 
Sweet rang the choral song 
And on the gathered throng, 
127 




/y 




..;ai^^-j4s 



I3v 




THE VALUE OF 

Consoling, dwelt full long: — 
**It is not death to die!" 
Ah no! 

** It is not death to die, — " 
Then when life's light is fled 
And death's gloom o'er thee shed, 
Empty thy heart of dread; — 
It is not death to die. 
Ah no! 

Vivian Mordaunt, 



And this for comfort thou must know, 
Times that are ill won't still be so; 
Clouds will not ever pour down rain; 
A sullen day will clear again. 

Herrick. 
^ ^& ^0' 

Make one person happy each day and in forty 
years you have made 14,600 human beings happy 
for a little time at least. 

Mnon. 



A man is relieved and gay when he has put his 
heart into his work and done his best; but what 
he has said or done otherwise shall give him no 
peace. 

Emerson, 




15^* 



CHEERFULNESS 

Life is too short to waste 

In critic peep, or cynic bark, quarrel or repri- 
mand; 
'Twill soon be dark; 
Up! mind thine own aim, and 
God speed the mark! 

Emerson. 



Ji 



^f/ 



Who's for the hills? 

Ho for the stress and struggle, and at last 
The gain of summit places sure and fast! 
Ho for a clearer air, a fairer view, 
A hilltop nearer to the mighty blue! 

Who's for the hills? 



Who's for the hills? 
Ho for the morning wrestle, and the climb 
To wholesome peaks above the fens of time! 
A sturdy company, come, let us go 
And leave the shadow line far, far below. 

Who's for the hills? 

Frank tValcott Hutt. 




The moment a selfish moving seizes the mind, 
give the impulse another turn. If a fear arises, 
face it on the spot and dispel it. If you are 
tempted to be angrj-, pause for a moment and 
still the rising activities. m 

Horatio IV. Dresser. 

\ 129 



4 




/^ 




THE Value of 






The soul would have no rainbow 
Had the eyes no tears. 

John Vance Cheney, 
^^ ^^ £^ 

You can help your fellow men. You must help 
your fellow men. But the only way you can help 
them is by being the noblest and the best man 
that it is possible for you to be. 

Phillips Brooks, 



Wb 



The sunniest skies are the fairest. 
The happiest hours are best; 

Of all life's high blessings the rarest 
Are fullest of comfort and rest. 

Though Fate is our purpose denying. 
Let each bear his part like a man, 

Nor sadden the world with his sighing — 
*Tis better to smile if we can. 

Each heart has its burden of sorrow. 
Each soul has its shadow of doubt, 

'Tis sunshine we're yearning to borrow — 
True sunshine within and without. 

Then let us wear faces of pleasure 
The world shall be happy to scan, 

And add to the wealth of its treasure, — 
'Tis better to smile if we can. 
130 



i 



\ 



Mi^^^ 



m^ 




-^^ 



CHEERFULNESS 

Friends, let us take to patience and water gruel, 
as the old folks used to tell us, rather than catch 
the miserables, and give others the disease by 
wickedly finding fault with God. The best remedy 
for affliction is submitting to providence. What 
can't be cured must be endured. If we cannot get 
bacon, let us bless God that there are still some 
cabbages in the garden. Must is a hard nut to 
crack, but it has a sweet kernel. " All things work 
together for good to them that love God." 

C. H» Spurgeotit 





It is well to observe what a range of thought 
and sentiment is opened up by genuine happiness, 
and then, when the spirit of depression weighs 
heavily upon us, to recall these conditions, to let 
the morbid thought languish for mere want of at- 
tention, to stir one's self, to arouse a forced hap- 
piness if one cannot shake off the heavy spirit 
in any other way. 

Horatio W. Dresser. 



Let nothing make thee sad or fretful. 
Or too regretful; 

Be still. 
What God has ordered must be right; 
Then find in it thine own delight. 

My will. 

131 




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THE VALUE OF 

Why shouldst thou fill to-day with sorrow 
About to-morrow, 

My heart? 
One watches all with care most true; 
Doubt not that he will give thee too 

Thy part. 

Only be steadfast; never waver. 
Nor seek earth's favour. 
But rest. 
Thou knowest what God wills must be 
For all his creatures, so for thee, 
The best. 

Paul Fleming, 



It is not the work, but the worry. 

That drives all sleep away, 
As we toss and turn and wonder 

About the cares of the day. 
Do we think of the hands' hard labour. 

Or the steps of the tired feet? 
Ah, no! but we plan and wonder 

How to make both ends meet. 

It is not the work, but the worry, 
That makes us troubled and sad. 

That makes us narrow and sordid 

When we should be cheery and glad. 
132 



^ 



i\. 




^ 



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CHEERFULNESS 

There's a shadow before the sunlight, 

And ever a cloud in the blue, 
The scent of the rose is tainted, 

The notes of the song are untrue. 

It is not the work, but the worry. 

That makes the world grow old, 
That numbers the years of its children 

Ere half their story is told; 
That weakens their faith in heaven 

And the wisdom of God's great plan. 
Ah ! 'tis not the work, but the worry 

That breaks the heart of man. 

Mnon. 
j^ ^^ £^ 

Make for yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts! 
none of us yet know, for none of us have been 
taught in early youth, what fairy palaces we may 
build of beautiful thoughts, proof against all ad- 
versity; bright fancies, satisfied memories, noble 
histories, faithful sayings, treasure-houses of pre- 
cious and restful thought, which care cannot dis- 
turb, nor pain make gloomy, nor poverty take 
away from us; houses built without hands for 
souls to live in. 

Rushin, 
^ J^ J^ 

It is a grand thing for the English language 
that there is no word for " ennui." If the creation 
had been drab-coloured; if there had been no 



.^.iV' 



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THE VALUE OF 

horses, dogs, water-rats, or dragon-flies; if science 
and art had been intuitive; if religion had been 
clear; if all men's condition had been equal; if 
men and women were always amenable to reason, 
and boys were always quiet — then the world 
might have been somewhat dull: there would 
then have been a justifiable word for ennui in all 
languages; at present ennui is simply inanity or 
stupidity. 

Sir Arthur Helps, 



'^Ig^^ 



The sweetest music is not in oratorios, but in 
the human voice when it speaks from its instant 
life tones of tenderness, truth, and courage. 

Emerson* 

^& JE^ J^ 

Along the noisy city ways 

And in this rattling city car. 
On this the dreariest of days. 

Perplexed with business fret and jar, 

When suddenly a young, sweet face 
Looked on my petulance and pain 

And lent it something of its grace. 
And charmed it into peace again. 

The day was just as bleak without, 
My neighbours just as cold within. 

And truth was just as full of doubt, 
The world was just as full of sin. 

134 





CHEERFULNESS 

But in the light of that young smile 
The world grew pure, the heart grew warm; 

And sunshine gleamed a little while 
Across the darkness of the storm. 

I did not care to seek her name, 

I only said, " God bless thy life. 
Thy sweet young grace be still the same, 

Or happy maid or happy wife." 

Phillips Brooks, 
^ J^ ^ 

Is Hope a phantom? Holds the crystal cup 
Sweet madness only — an we drink it up? 
A respite ere the poor dumb soul is killed? 
— Then spoke one who had loved: "Hope is no 

lie, 
But real as answered love or unfulfilled; 
Yet were hope phantom-false, still would I cry: 
'Hail, thou Bright Poisoner! Let me drink and 

die!'" 

A. tV, Gilder, 
^ ^ JB^ 

You have a disagreeable duty to do at twelve 
o'clock. Do not blacken nine and ten and eleven, 
and all between, with the colour of twelve. Do 
the work of each, and reap your reward in peace. 
So when the dreaded moment in the future be- 
comes the present, you shall meet it walking in 
the light, and that light will overcome its dark- 

135 




^BF 





f»^ 



THE VALUE OF 



ness. How often do men who have made up their 
minds what to say and do under certain expected 
circumstances, forget the words and reverse the 
actions! The best preparation is the present well 
seen to, the last duty done. 

George AfacDonald* 
<^ ^ ^ 

Hold up your head! You were not made for 
failure, you were made for victory: go forward 
with a joyful confidence in that result sooner or 
later, and the sooner or later depends mainly on 

yo^rseli. ^^^^ Gilchrist. 

^^ <^ ^ 

Good habits are not made on birthdays, nor 
Christian character at the New Year. The work- 
shop of character is every-day life. The unevent- 
ful and commonplace hour is where the battle is 
lost or won. 

Maltbie D» Babcock* 



^ % 



When the mist is on the river, and the haze is on 

the hills. 
And the promise of the spring-time all the ample 

heaven fills; 
When the shy things in the wood-haunts and the 

hardy on the plains 
Catch up heart and feel a leaping life through 

winter's sluggish veins; 

^m mi 



^Ss^^^S^je'; 



m 



CHEERFULNESS 

Then the summons of the morning like a bugle 

moves the blood, 
Then the soul of man grows larger, like a flower 

from the bud; 
For the hope of high Endeavour is a cordial half 

divine, 
And the banner cry of Onward calls the laggards 

into line. 

There is glamour of the moonlight when the stars 
rain peace below. 

But the stir and smell of morning is a better thing 
to know; 

While the night is hushed and holden and trans- 
pierced by dreamy song, 

Lo, the dawn brings dew and fire and the rapture 
of the strong. 

Richard Burton* 




I should like to know a man who just minded 
his duty and troubled himself about nothing; 
who did his own work and did not interfere with 
God's. How nobly he would work — working not 
for reward, but because it was the will of God! 
How happily he would receive his food and cloth- 
ing, receiving them as the gifts of God! What 
peace would be hisi What a sober gaiety! How 
hearty and infectious his laughter! What a friend 
he would be! How sweet his sympathy! And his 

^37 





.^^ 



THE VALUE OF 

mind would be so clear he would understand 
everything. His eye being single, his whole body 
would be full of light. No fear of his ever doing a 
mean thing. He would die in a ditch rather. It 
is this fezir of want that makes men do mean 
things. 

George MacDonald, 
j& ^ j^ 

When you find a person a little better than his 
word, a little more liberal than his promise, a 
little more than borne out in his statement by his 
facts, a little larger in deeds than in speech, you 
recognize a kind of eloquence in that person's 
utterance not laid down in Blair or Campbell. 

Holmes: ** Elsie Venner.** 



We often do more good by our sympathy than 
by our labours, and render to the world a more 
lasting service by absence of jealousy and recog- 
nition of merit than we could ever render by the 
straining efforts of personal ambition. 

Dean Farrar, 
^& J^ J^ 

It is of great assistance to our cheerfulness 
under the trials and difficulties of life to reflect 
that these experiences are testing the real quality 
of our inner life, and that we are showing how 
much genuine man or woman there is in us by 

138 



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CHEERFULNESS 

the way we resist the temptation to moroseness, 
impatience or murmuring. A commander of a ship 
in a perilous storm feels the staying power of 
the conviction that he is at his post to conquer 
the storm and to bring his vessel safe to her port. 
Of course there is something objective and tangi- 
ble about waging a contest with winds and waves. 
But that does not alter the real conditions of the 
problem. The contest that every one has to carry 
on with untoward circumstances, with disappoint- 
ment in those whom we had trusted, in the fail- 
ure of cherished plans, and sometimes with the 
suffering and death of those we love, appeals to 
the motives that inspire the commander to show 
himself adequate to the emergency. And strangely 
enough you seldom find a man who is carrying 
on a contest and asserting himself against a storm 
of wind or a storm of trouble who is unhappy. 
There is a deep joy in the strife. As long as you 
preserve the aggressive militant temper, you are 
not unhappy. 

Mnon. 
j^ j^ ^^ 

I find the great thing in this world is, not so 
much where we stand, as in what direction we 
are moving. To reach the port of heaven, we 
must sail sometimes with the wind and some- 
times against it, — but we must sail and not drift, 
nor lie at anchor. 

Holmes: "Autocrat of the BreakfasUTable,'* 



Im 



P 



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THE VALUE OF 

Groweth the morning from gray to gold; 

Up, my heart, and greet the sim! 
Yesterday's cares are a tale that is told, 

Yesterday's tasks are a work that is done. 

Yesterday's failures are all forgot, 
Buried beneath the billows of sleep; 

Yesterday's burdens are as they were not, 
Lay them low in the soundless deep. 

Share thy crust and ask no dole; 

Offer the cup thou wouldst never drain; 
Only he who saveth his soul 

Loseth all that he fain would gain. 

Smile with him who has gained his desire; 

Smile the gladder if at thy cost. 
It was his to win and thine to aspire. 

It is his to-day that loved the most. 

Pluck the flower that blooms at thy door; 

Cherish the love that the day may send: 
Cometh an hour when all thy store 

Vainly were offered for flower or friend. 

Gratefully take what life offereth. 

Looking to Heaven nor seeking reward; 

So shalt thou find, come life, come death. 
Earth and the sky are in sweet accord. 

Louise Manning Hodgkins, 

140 



«W 





CHEERFULNESS 



iA 




A true life must be genial and joyous. Tell 
me not, pale anchorite, of your ceaseless vigils, 
your fastings, your scourgings. These are fit 
offerings to Moloch, not to Our Father. The man 
who is not happy in the path he has chosen, may 
be very sure he has chosen amiss, or is self-de- 
ceived. But not merely happier — he should be 
kinder, gentler, and more elastic in spirits, as well 
as firmer and truer. " I love God and little chil- 
dren," says a German poet. The good are ever 
attracted and made happier by the presence of the 
innocent and lovely. And he who finds his re- 
ligion adverse to, or a restraint upon, the truly 
innocent pleasures and gaieties of life, so that 
the latter do not interfere with and jar upon its 
sublimer objects — may well doubt whether he 
has indeed " learned of Jesus." 

Horace Greeley. 

yill ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ 

It is said that the fuchsia was introduced into 
England by a sailor boy, who brought it from a 
foreign clime as a present for his mother; she 
exposed it in her modest window, it became an 
attraction, and that plant pioneered all the fuch- 
sias in the country. How little that sailor boy 
knew what he was doing! He did far more than 
he thought. He has gladdened thousands of eyes 
and hearts. If he could come back to-day and 
see his plant blooming on the window-sills of 





14 



THE VALUE OF 



the poor, in the gardens of the rich, in the con- 
servatories of connoisseurs, how surprised and 
gladdened he would be! If he is a public bene- 
factor who makes two blades of grass grow 
where only one grew before, what shall be said of 
him who makes a million plants bloom where 
only one bloomed before? So we perform name- 
less acts of kindness, forbearance and equity, we 
speak fugitive words of truthfulness and courtesy 
and these have a self-propagating power and go 
on reproducing themselves in endless harvests. 
W. L. Watkinson, D. D. 



^^ If I should say of a garden, "It is a place 
fenced in," what idea would you have of its 
clusters of roses, and pyramids of honeysuckles, 
and beds of odorous flowers, and rows of blos- 
soming shrubs and fruit-bearing trees? If I 
should say of a cathedral, " It is built of stone, 
cold stone," what idea would you have of its 
wonderful carvings, and its gorgeous openings 
for door and window, and its evanescing spire? 
Now, if you regard religion merely as self-denial, 
you stop at the fence and see nothing of the 
beauty of the garden; you think only of the stone, 
and not of the marvellous beauty into which 
it is fashioned. 

^non. 




142 



^^&^'k 










CHEERFULNESS 

Oh die not yet, great heart: but deign 

A little longer to endure ^j^ 

This life of passionate fret and strain, jfl^a 

Of slender hope and joy unsure. i^^^^ 

Take Contemplation by the sleeve. 
And ask her, " Is it not worth while 

To teach my fellows not to grieve, — 
To lend them courage in a smile? 





" Is it so little to have made 

The timorous ashamed of fear. 
The idle and the false afraid 
To front existence with a sneer? 



For those who live within your sway ,^ 
Know not a mortal fear, save one, — • " 

That some irreparable day 

They should awake and find you gone. 

Live on, love on. Let reason swerve: 
But Instinct knows her own great lore, 

Like some imchartered planet's curve 
That sweeps your sight, then is no more. 

Live on, love on, without a qualm. 

Child of immortal charity. 
In the great certitude and calm 

Of joy freeborn that shall not die. 

Bliss Carman 

H3 




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THE VALUE OF 

Just a cheery word or two 

As you pass along; 
Such an easy thing to do — 

Just a smile or song; 
You may comfort, soothe or rest 
Some poor, weary aching breast; 
Though the world forget it, dear, 
He'll remember, never fear. 




Take a little dash of water cold, 

And a little leaven of prayer, 
And a little bit of morning gold 

Dissolved in morning air. 

Add to your meal some merriment. 
And a thought for kith and kin. 

And then, as your prime ingredient, 
A plenty of work thrown in. 

Then spice it all with the essence of love. 

And a little whiff of play; 
Let a wise old book and a glance above 

Complete the well-made day. „"S % 

Mmos it. Wells, 



If man could rule, his love of change would mar 
The purple dignity that wraps the hills; 

Pluck out from the blue sky some perfect star. 
And set it elsewhere, as his fancy wills; 
[44 




CHEERFULNESS 

Train the gnarled apple-tree more straightly up; 

Lift violet's head, so long and meekly bowed; 
With some new odour fill her purple cup, 

And gild the rosy fringes of a cloud. 

For, mark! Last year I loved the violet best, 
And tied her tender colours in my hair; 

To-day I wear on my inconstant breast 
A crimson rose, and count her just as fair. 

We are unfaithful. Only God is true 
To hold secure the landmarks of the past; 

To paint year after year the harebell blue 

And in the same sweet mold its shape to cast. 

O steadfast Nature, let us learn of thee! 

Thou canst create a new flower at thy will, 
And yet, through all the years canst faithful be 

To the sweet pattern of a daffodil. 

May Riley Stnithm 

^ ^ £^ 

Happiness is a small matter. It is a mere in- 
cident in life. It largely depends, as the word 
itself suggests, on what happens to a man in his 
course of duty or of service. It may affect his 
feelings hour by hour, but it is no measure of his 
character or real being. Joy, or blessedness, 
is, however, more of r matter than is happiness. 
Our fellow man may affect our happiness. God 
gives us joy. Blessedness is God's crowning gift. 

145 





' «^A 



n 



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THE VALUE OF 

By being near to God we can have joy and find 
blessedness, whether happiness be ours or not. 
Therefore let us pray God for joy and blessed- 
ness, regardless of whether happiness is, or is not, 
ours. 

Mnon. 
^ jB^ ^ 

One of the worst evils wrought by the sin of 
discouragement is that we are tempted to stop 
when we are just on the eve of realized success, 
and almost in sight of the richest blessings. 
Up near the summit of Mount Washington I 
once saw a cairn of stones to mark the spot where 
a poor girl perished from exposure and heart 
failure on a cold night. Her father and she had 
rashly attempted to ascend the mountain without 
a guide (it was years ago), and they had become 
lost, and sat down bewildered when the chilling 
darkness of the autumnal night came on. The 
next morning the distracted father discovered 
that a very short distance more would have 
brought them in sight of the lights of the "Tip- 
top " cabin ! 

Theodore L. Cuyler, D. D, 



" It is easy to sit in the sunshine 
And talk to the man in the shade." 

It is easy to float in a well-trimmed boat 
And point out the places to wade. 
146 



■c> 



CHEERFULNESS 

But once we pass into the shadows, 

We murmur and fret and frown, 
And our length from the bank we shout for a 
plank, 

Or throw up our hands and go down. 

It is easy to sit in your carriage 

And counsel the man on foot; 
But get down and walk and you'll change your 
talk 

As you feel the peg in your boot. 

It is easy to tell the toiler 

How best he can carry his pack; 
But no one can rate a burden's weight 

Until it has been on his back. 

The up-curled mouth of pleasure ' 

Can preach of sorrow's worth; 
But give it a sip, and a wryer lip 

Was never made on earth. 

Ella Wheeler Wilcox, 



In one of Schiller's poems a beautiful story 
is told to this effect. When God made the birds 
he gave them gorgeous plumage and sweet 
voices, but no wingo. He laid wings on the 
groimd and said, " Take these burdens and bear 
them." They struggled aloiig with them, folding 

147 





THE VALUE OF 

them over their hearts. Presently the wings 
grew fast to their breasts, and spread themselves 
out, and then they found that what they had 
thought were burdens were changed to pinions. 

Arthur r. Pierson, D. D. 



Were there no God, I still would thank the Source, 

though all unknown. 
Wherein are born the joys of men, the gifts I 

call my own. 
The heart impels the tongue to speak since to my 

lot belong 
A woman's love, a sheaf of grain, a lily and a 

song. 

The savage beast, the poison vine, the evil of the 

earth — 
I know not if the good and bad were only one 

at birth; 
But all the world seems gracious when I set 

against the wrong 
A woman's love, a sheaf of grain, a lily and a 

song. 

Nixon Waterman. 



Thrown off the harness of your daily lives, get 
from beneath the hammer that beats the life 
from out your souls. Go to the smiles of our 
148 




CHEERFULNESS 

great Mother Earth, and up from them look for 
the smile of our great Father — God — and the 
dull thud of your sluggish pulse will bound with 
new life; and you will see, not flower and 
sky, not beauty and summer, but the great Im- 
manent Spirit of them all — Him in whom you, 
as they, live, move, and have your being. 

J. F. W. Ware. 

^e^ £^ £^ 
If I can live 
To m^ke some pale face brighter, and to give 

A second lustre to some tear-dimmed eye. 
Or e'en impart 
One throb of comfort to an aching heart. 

Or cheer some wayworn soul in passing by; 

If I can lend 

A strong hand to the fallen, or defend 

The right against a single envious strain, — 
My life, though bare 
Perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair 

To us on earth, will not have been in vain. 

The purest joy, 

Most near to heaven, far from earth's alloy, 

Is bidding clouds give way to sun and shine; 
And 'twill be well 
If on that day of days the angels tell 

Of me, " She did her best for one of thine." 

Helen Hunt jQckson, 

149 



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THE VALUE OF 

One should take good care not to grow too 
wise for so great a pleasure of life as laughter. 

Addison, 

^ d^ ^ 

It is a great art to know how to administer 
encouragement wisely. Perhaps the best you can 
do for any one who is in perplexity and difficulty 
is to manifest your faith in him. The secret of 
discouragement is self-distrust. The man thinks 
that he has done all he can, or fears that he 
will fail. The friend who shows that he believes 
in him sends him away with a new inspiration 
and confidence. It is a capital mistake to seek 
to encourage people by underrating their trials. 
You say to your friend: " Oh, that is nothing at 
all; you can do that easily enough," and you 
have made his burden heavier. The difficulty is 
a real one to him. You cannot help him until you 
take his point of view and see how hard the con- 
ditions are in his conception of them. Then you 
encourage him and you will do it by telling him 
that you understand the difficulty, but that you 
believe that he can conquer it. Then you have 
appealed to the man with the man. He knows 
that some one understands him, and the next 
time you meet him he will say by his glowing 
face : " I thank you ! It was hard work, but I 
did it. I did it because you believed in me and 
that made me believe in myself." 

Jinon, 

ISO 




M 



CHEERFULNESS 

spring-time finds me happy, summer makes me 

sing; 
Fall-time is so glorious, I hear the joybells ring! 
Winter — I jest love it, with fires blazin' free ; 
Every blessed season is packed with sweets fer 

me! 

Great old world, I tell you; don*t care what they 

say. 
With the frosts of Winter, with the flowers of 

May, 
Ain't it doin' splendid? Any one can see 
Every cup is brimmin' with joy fer you an' me! 

Great old world in darkness — great old world in 

day; 
Reap its happy harvests, walk its happy way! 
Lots more light than shadow — light a-f ailing 

free. 
An' all the bloom an' beauty an' light fer you an* 

me! 

Frank L. Stanton, 

J0> J^ ^ 

YEARS, HURRY BY! 

Calendars, I count you vain, — 
Bastards of some Arab's brain! 

You life's measure? Fie! 
Toys of custom and of kings! 

151 




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VALUE OF 





Do I grieve that Time has wings? 
Nay! my spirit laughs and sings, 
"Years, hurry by!" 

Life, you've bless'd me, you have brought 
Gifts of home, friends, quiet thought, 

And a stormless sky. 
As you're hastening tow'rd the goal 
I'll not bribe you nor cajole, 
Nay! I shout with care-free soul: 
"Years, hurry by!" 

" Oh, for childhood's village street 
Printed o'er with small bare feet. 

Stretching to the sky!" 
Nay, the rather wish for this: 
Roads the feet of labour kiss, 
Leading to the longer bliss! 
Years, hurry by! 

Frederic Lawrence Knowles, 
j^ J^ ^S^ 

God of the Dew, 
In gentlest ministry, 
As silently 
Would I some soul refresh anew. 

God of the Sun, 
Far flaming heat and light, 
Be my delight 
On radiant errands swift to run. 




Sii^*r 



^\^^^ 



152 



^ 



m 




CHEERFULNESS 

God of the Star, 
To its stern orbit true. 
My soul imbue 
With dread, lest I thine order mar. 

God of the Sea, 

Majestic, vast, profound, 
Enlarge my bound — 
Broader and deeper let me be. 

Maltbie D. Babeock, 



There are souls in this world which have the 
gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it 
behind them when they go. 

Faber, 



Don't fret about the morrow, 
With its chance of coming sorrow. 
Or fear that cruel Fate your hope of happiness 
will blight. 
V Never get into a flurry. 

For it never pays to worry, 
Just 
Live one day at a time — and live that 

one 
day 
right. 

153 



THE VALUE OF 

The man who's always fretting 
Will find he isn't getting 
The good of life, which ought to be a season of 
delight. 
So never trouble borrow. 
Or fuss about to-morrow — 
Just 
Live one day at a time — and live that 

one 
day 
right. 

Mnon, 

JB^ £^ JE^ 

A woman who does not carry a halo of good 
feeling and desire to make everybody contented 
about with her wherever she goes, — an atmos- 
phere of grace, mercy, and peace, of at least six 
feet radius, which wraps every human being 
upon whom she voluntarily bestows her presence, 
and so flatters him with the comfortable thought 
that she is rather glad he is alive than otherwise, 
isn't worth the trouble of talking to, as a woman; 
she may do well enough to hold discussions with. 

Holmes, 
d^ j^ <^ 

The youngest among us are preparing an In- 
dian summer of peace or laying the foundation 
of an unhappy old age. It is a long look ahead, 
but it is inevitable; unless we m^ellow and soften 

154 



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CHEERFULNESS 

and ripen with years, unless we deepen the chan- 
nel of the spiritual nature, unless we exercise a 
noble self-control and live for pure, high, gener- 
ous aims, there can be no Indian summer for the 
soul. The aftermath is gathered from all that is 
gone before. 

Christian tlegister, 
J^ JE^ ^ 

George Eliot somewhere says that when the 
conscience of the race is developed, we shall run 
as easily to prevent a man's or a woman's fall 
as we would to save a beautiful mantelpiece orna- 
ment in danger of coming to the ground and 
being dashed to pieces. That will be when the 
constraining love of Christ has had its way in 
the hearts of his people. 

London Christian. 



There is nothing better for a human being, 
sometimes, than a little hearty praise. Many 
good people conscientiously act on the directly 
opposite, and seem to think nothing better than a 
little hearty blame. They are mistaken, conscien- 
tious in their blame as they may be. There are 
sore burdens enough in life, bitterness and pain 
enough, hard work enough, and little enough 
for it, enough to depress a man and keep him 
humble — a keen enough sense of failure, succeed 

155 




THE VALUE OF 

as he may, and a word of hearty commendation 
now and then will lighten his load and brighten 
his heart and send him on with new hope and 
energy, and, if he has any reasonable amount of 
brains at all, will do him no harm. 

Preacher's Magaxine. 



Wouldst shape a noble life? Then cast 
No backward glances toward the past: 
And though somewhat be lost and gone, 
Yet do thou act as one new-born. 

Goethe. 



No miracle, but faithful daily bread 

Is happiness — whereon our hearts are fed 

From our own hand. 
A present goal, some glad, unhoped surprise 
That folded *neath a dark horizon lies 

In this near land! 

A passing quiver born of morning light. 
The pain of yesterday, subdued to-night; 

A sudden smile! 
Rest after toil; a home on some dear breast — 
So old the joys and various the quest 

That men beguile. 

Martha Gilbert Diekinaon» 

156 



CHEERFULNESS 

The dear little wife at home, John, 

With ever so much to do. 
Stitches to set, and babies to pet, 

And so many thoughts of you; 
The beautiful household fairy 

Filling your heart with light; 
Whatever you meet to-day, John, 

Go cheerily home to-night. 

For though you are worn and weary. 

You needn't be cross or curt; 
There are words like darts to gentle hearts, 

There are looks that wound and hurt. 
With the key in the latch at home, John, 

Drop the trouble out of sight; 
To the little wife who is waiting 

Go cheerily home to-night. 

Mnon. 



There is no such thing as utter failure to one 
who has done his best. Were this truth more 
often emphasized, there would be more courage 
and energy infused into sad and desponding 
hearts. The compensation may seem shadowy 
and afar off, but it is not so. It attends every 
one who is conscientious, painstaking and reso- 
lute, and will never desert him, whatever may be 
the fate of his exertions in other respects. 

Great Thoughts. 

^ '57 



\\\ 



y/ 



/// 



!5 



THE VALUE OF 

I have planted a Tree of Happiness 

In ground all wet with tears, 
I have prayed to God that his sunshine 

May fill the lonely years. 



I have planted a tiny seed of Hope 
And then a seed of Trust. 

They grow in that sweet sunshine. 
And blossom, as they must. 







I show my flowers to the sorrowing. 

To those who suffer pain; 
And my tree grows strong in sunshine. 

And pure and sweet in the rain. 

^ . L. T. Mulligan, 

I ^§^^ *^ ^ ^ 

Those who would be happy must cease to seek 
happiness and ask only the privilege of giving. 
The song will rise in our hearts when we cease to 
live for ourselves and begin to live for the good 
that we can do. 

^**^^ Rev. Jimory H. Bradford, D. D, 

dfi ^ ^ ^ 

The best way to stop worrying over your 
own troubles, real and imaginary, is to look 
around you and find out how many people are 
worse off than you are — then, maybe, you will 
feel that things are not so bad with you as you 
thought. Constant dwelling on your own troubles 
158 




CHEERFULNESS 



i^?^5S 




tends to magnify them, and every time you retail 
your woes they seem more real to you. Stop this 
business of pitying yourself so much — this busi- 
ness of saying : " Ah, poor me ! " Get out of 
your sackcloth and ashes, give yourself a good 
scrubbing to get the ashes off you, and burn up 
the sackcloth. Then put on your finest raiment 
and sail forth like Solomon in all his glory. If 
you can't find anything good in your own case, 
take an interest in some one else's, and thus get 
your mind ofif your own. 

\ Afeii; Thought, 



PEACE 

'Tis not in seeking, 

*Tis not in endless striving. 

Thy quest is found: 
Be still and listen, g, . 

Be still and drink the quiet V^ 

Of all around. 

Not for thy crying, 

Not for thy loud beseeching. 

Will peace draw near: 
Rest with palms folded; 
Rest with thine eyelids fallen—^ 
Lo! peace is here. 

JUL 
159 




f'A 




11 






THE VALUE OF 

To-day 

Unsullied comes to thee, new born; 

To-morrow is not thine. 

The sun may cease to shine 

For thee ere earth shall greet its mom. 

Be earnest then in thought and deed. 

Nor fear approaching night; 

Calm comes with evening light. 

And hope and peace. Thy duty heed — 

To-day. 

John Raskin, 



When you find yourself, as I dare say you some- 
times do, overpowered as it were by melancholy, 
the best way is to go out and do something kind 
to somebody or other. 

John Keble. 



The secret of happiness lies in the health of the 
whole mind and in giving each faculty due occu- 
pation. Every one can find use for their powers 
for good in that sphere into which their lot is cast. 
Instead of going out of our place to seek happi- 
ness, our skill should be to find it where we are. 
Then the disposition to be happy lies greatly in 
ourselves. It is sometimes an inherited gift, in 
some requires cultivation; but if it lies within 
us in the smallest degree, no matter what our 
1 60 



:t 



-,-'t 




CHEERFULNESS Jj ^ 

condition in life, we are the envied ones. It sees ^ 

in everything some ray of brightness. Pick 
flowers by the wayside. 

Mnon, 

^ ^ ^Bf 

Some lives are so rich that their very crumbs 

make a feast for others. Would you not rather 

have a smile or a single word from some royal 

soul than a whole sermon from another? Grand 

characters little realize what potency of blessing 

flows from their slightest words and acts. 

Jinon, 
^ ^ ^ 

If youll sing a song as you go along, 

In the face of the real or the fancied wrong. 

In spite of the doubt if you'll fight it out, 

And show a heart that is brave and stout; 

If you'll laugh at the jeers and refuse the tears. 

You'll force the ever reluctant cheers 

That the world denies when a coward cries. 

To give to the man who bravely tries. 

And you'll win success with a little song — 

If you'll sing the song as you go along! 

If you'll sing a song as you trudge along, 
You'll see that the singing will make you strong. 
And the heavy load and the rugged road 
And the sting and the stripe of the tortuous goad 
Will soar with the note that you set afloat; 
i6i 




I 



THE VALUE OF 

That the beam will change to a trifling mote; 

That the world is bad when you are sad, 

And bright and beautiful when glad. 

That all you need is a little song — 

If you sing the song as you trudge along! 

R. JUcClain Fields, 
^ ^ ^ 

A spirit does actually exist which teaches the 
ant her path, the bird her building, and men, in 
an instinctive and marvellous way, whatever 
lovely arts and noble deeds are possible to them. 
Without it you can do no good thing. To the 
grief of it you can do many bad ones. In the pos- 
session of it is your peace and your power. . . . 
Therefore I pray you with all earnestness to 
prove, and know within your hearts, that all 
things lovely and righteous are possible for 
those who believe in their possibility, and who 
determine that, for their part, they will make 
every day's work contribute to them. 

John Raskin, 
^ <^ ^ 

"When I crossed the ocean in my boyhood 
to seek my fortune in America, all the English 1 
knew was, * I thank you, sir,' " said a gentleman 
who is now a highly prosperous and respected 
American citizen. 

"That one sentence served me in good stead. 
162 





CHEERFULNESS 

The captain and crew of the vessel were English- 
men, and it was marvellous how my ' I thank 
you, sir,' won smiles and kindness from them. 
It was the same when I reached New York. 
When other words failed me I could always say, 
* I thank you, sir.' It was my passport, and it 
opened many a door and many a heart to me." 

^non. 



Stand in the sunshine sweet 
And treasure every ray, 

Nor seek with stubborn feet 
The darksome way. 

Have courage! Keep good cheer I 
Our longest time is brief. 

To those who hold you dear 
Bring no more grief. 

But cherish blisses small. 
Grateful for least delight 

That to your lot doth fall. 
However slight. 

L ' And lo! all hearts will bring 

Love, to make glad your days: 
Blessings untold will spring 
About your ways. 

Cetia Thaxter. 

163 



THE VALUE OF 

1*11 not confer with Sorrow 
Till to-morrow; 
But Joy shall have her way 
This very day. 

Ho, eglantine and cresses 
For her tresses! 
Let Care, the beggar, wait 
Outside the gate. 

Tears if you will — but after 
Mirth and laughter; 
Then, folded hands on breast 
And endless rest. 

r. B. Mldrich. 

JB^ JE^ «^ 

A thankful spirit turns all that touches it into 
happiness. 

IVittiam Law* 
^ ^^ ^ 

Six little words lay claim to me each passing day: 

I ought, I must, I can, I will, I dare, I may. 

I Ought, — that is the law God on my heart has 

written. 
The mark for which my soul is with strong 

yearning smitten. 
I Must, — that is the bound set either side the 

way. 
By nature and the world, so that I shall not 

stray. 

164 



CHEERFULNESS 

I Can, — that measures out the power entrusted 
me 

Of action, knowledge, art, skill, and dexterity. 

I Will, — no higher crown on human head can 
rest: 

*Tis freedom's signet seal upon the soul im- 
pressed. 

I Dare is the device which on the seal you read. 

By freedom's open door a bolt for time of need. 

I May among them all hovers uncertainly; 

The moment must at last decide what it shall be. 

I ought, I must, I can, I will, I dare, I may: 

The six lay claim to me each hour of every day. 

Teach me, O God! and then, then shall I know 
each day 

That which I ought to do I must, can, will, dare, 
may. 

Wisdom of the Brahman. 



No one is living aright unless he so lives that 
whoever meets him goes away more confident 
and joyous for the contact. 

Lilian Whiting. 

^& ^ ^e^ 

To blame or praise men on account of the re- 
sult, is almost like praising or blaming figures 
on account of the sum total. Whatever is to 
happen, happens; whatever is to blow, blows. 

165 



^.~:^ 



^ A 



THE VALUE OF 

The eternal serenity does not suffer from these 
north winds. Above revolutions. Truth and 
Justice reign, as the starry heavens above the 
tempest. „. ^ „ 

*^ Victor Hugo, 

J^ J^ ^& 

Though snowy peaks may cap my day, 
I know somewhere that vines are twining; 

Though storms and lightnings 'round me play, 
Deep in my soul the sun is shining. 

Though teardrops from mine eyelids start, 
I know the world bows not in sorrow; 

I would not have it weep — my heart 
May wake in gladness on the morrow. 

Love Divine, keep thou my land — 
My heritage of soul — enfold it; 

1 know that when I reach my hand, 
A Father's hand is there to hold it! 

Jitton, 
je^ JE^ js^ 

Only a word of sympathy spoken 

To hearts overburdened with care; 
Only the clasp of the hand as a token 

That we in their trouble would share; 
Only a pause to render assistance 

To those overcome by the way. 
These are the deeds that ennoble existence. 

And turn the world's darkness to day. 

Geo. D, Getivicks, 

i66 



CHEERFULNESS 



If we could read the secret history of our ene- 
mies, we should find in each man's life sorrow 
and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. 

Longfellow. 



Make sure that, however good you may be, you 
have faults; that however dull you may be, you 
can find out what they are; and that, however 
slight they may be, you would better make some 
patient effort to get quit of them. 

Raskin, 



\m 



m 



\^ 



O God, who alone canst transform the nature 
of man, change the ingenuity wherewith I invent 
worries into a skill at discovering joys! Make 
strong my memory for pleasure and weaken it for 
pain. Give me a genius for gratitude! 

Mmos R. Wells, 



m 



Fill the heart with gladness. 

Banish thought of wrong. 
Take the prose of sadness. 

Turn it into song: 
Dust may change to flowers, 

Clouds with glory shine, 
Smiles enchant the hours. 

Making life divine! 
167 



THE VALUE OF 

Faces dark and fretful 

Are unholy sight; 
Spirits made regretful 

Miss the mark of right: 
We are born for pleasure, 

In our duty's round; 
In each life is treasure 

By the faithful found! 

All the earth is bringing 

Blessing to our feet. 
Burst then into singing. 

In the home and street; 
Laugh in love and gladness, 

Turn aside from fear; 
Be no friend to sadness. 

For sweet joy is here! 

Wittiam Srunion, 



Are the clouds hanging heavy and low, dear. 
Is it hard for the sun to shine through? 
Do the burdens of life seem too great, dear? 
And its sorrows meant only for you? 

Then, put on a smile sweet and true, dear. 
And lift up your heart in prayer. 
And the burdens will vanish like mist, dear. 
And the sorrows seem easy to bear. 

R. L. W. 

i68 



p 




CHEERFULNESS 

If God gave you gaiety and cheer of spirits, 
lift up the careworn by it. Wherever you go, 
shine and sing. In every household there is 
drudgery. In every household there is sorrow. 
If you come as a prince, with a cheerful, buoyant 
nature, in the name of God do not lay aside those 
royal robes of yours. Let humour bedew duty. 

Beeeher, 
^ ^& ^ 

What a subtle kind of heartache we give others 

by simply not being at our best and highest, when 

they have to make allowances for us, when the 

dark side is uppermost in our minds, and we take 

their sunlight and courage away, by even our 

unspoken thoughts, our atmosphere of heaviness! 

Oh, to stand always and eternally for sunlight 

and life and cheer. 

Jinon, 
i^ ^ J^ 

Make the best of everything; think the best 
of everybody; hope the best of yourself; and 
do as I have done — persevere. 



I don't believe that harmless cheerfulness and 
good humour are thought greater sins in heaven 
than shirt-collars are. 

Dleken*, 

169 



THE VALUE OF 

If a man is unhappy, remember that his unhap- 
piness is his own fault; for God made all men to 
be happy. 

Epictetus, 



There are times when the clouds roll thick and 
fast 

And the sky is black with distress; 
But worry o'er trouble that's present or past 

Never made the trouble the less. 
There are times when everything's looking blue, 

And everything's all in a flurry, 
And nothing was ever made brighter for you 

When you punished yourself by worry. 

We'll assume that the outlook's ripe with despair:. 

And there's never a cheerful ray 
Of light to dispel the clouds everywhere. 

That deepen the sombre way; 
But, assuming all this, there's naught to gain 

By Useless weeping and wailing; 
You'll bring neither sunshine nor cooling rain 

By storming, fretting, and railing. 

There's a better way when your trials roll thick — 
When the world seems full of trouble — 

Than letting the dark cut in to the quick 
And making your trouble double; 

170 



f^ 



CHEERFULNESS 

For trouble despises a smiling face 
And feeds on flurry and scurry — 

Just bury your griefs for a little space 
And look straight ahead — don't worry! 

Henry Edward Warner, 



The longer I live the more thoroughly I am 
convinced that I would rather be shut up in jail 
with a cheerful companion, than to make a sight- 
seeing tour of the world with the serious-minded 
person who, for fear he might appear to be 
lacking in dignity, refuses to see and to laugh at 
the funny side of things. 

Jlixon Waterman, 
^& J^ ^ 

It's going on and up that's the fun of studying, 

not arriving at the place. Arriving is the end. 

W. M. Hunt, 
^ j& ^ 

The habit of looking on the best side of every 
event is worth more than a thousand pounds a 
year. 

Samuel Johnson. 
j& J^ ^ 

I was walking along one winter's night, hurry- 
ing toward home, with my little maiden at my 
side. Said she, " Father, I am going to count 
the stars." "Very well," I said, "go on." By 
171 



m 



THE VALUE OF 

and by I heard her counting: "Two hundred 
and twenty-three, two hundred and twenty-five. 
O dear," she said, " I had no idea there were so 
many." Ah, dear friend, I sometimes say in my 
soul, " Now, Master, I am going to count the 
benefits." Soon my heart sighs, not with sorrow, 
but burdened with such goodness, and I say to 
myself, " I had no idea that there were so many." 

Mark Guy Pearse, 



The sunniest skies are the fairest. 

The happiest hours are best; 
Of all life's high blessings the rarest 

Are fullest of comfort and rest. 

Though Fate is our purpose denying, 
Let each bear his part like a man. 

Nor sadden the world with his sighing,— 
'Tis better to smile if we can. 

Each heart has its burden of sorrow. 
Each soul has its shadow of doubt, 

*Tis sunshine we're yearning to borrow — 
True sunshine within and without. 

Then let us wear faces of pleasure 
The world shall be happy to scan. 

And add to the wealth of its treasure,— 
*Tis better to smile it we caa 

Nixon Waterman, 

172 




CHEERFULNESS 

When all the world is young, lad. 

And all the trees are green; 
And every goose a swan, lad, 

And every lass a queen; 
Then hey for boot and horse, lad. 

And round the world away; 
Young blood must have its course, lad. 

And every dog his day. 

When all the world is old, lad, 

And all the trees are brown; 
And all the sport is stale, lad. 

And all the wheels run down; 
Creep home and take your place there, 

The spent and maimed among; 
God grant you find one face there 

You loved when all was young. 

Charles IQingstey* 
^ ^ ^ 

Work — work — work! It is the iron plough- 
share that goes over the field of the heart, root- 
ing up all the pretty grasses and the beautiful, 
hurtful weeds that we have taken such pleas- 
ure in growing, laying them all under, fair and 
foul together, making plain, dull-looking, arable 
land for our neighbours to peer at; until at 
night-time, down in the deep furrows, the angels 
come and sow. 

Dinah Mulock Craik, 

^73 



THE VALUE OF 

Only persevere; be true, firm and loving; not 
too anxious about immediate usefulness to others, 
— that can only be a result of justice to your- 
self. 

George Eliot, 



We often suffer ourselves to be put out of all 
our bearings by some misfortune, not of the most 
serious kind, which certainly looks very black 
at the time, but which from its nature cannot 
be lasting. We are thus like ignorant hens that 
insist upon going to roost in midday because 
there is a brief transitory eclipse of the sun. 

Arthur Helps* 



Feel all out of kilter, do you? 

Nothing goes to suit you, quite? 
Skies seem sort of dark and clouded. 

Though the day is fair and bright? 
Eyes affected — fail to notice 

Beauty spread on every hand? 
Hearing so impaired you're missing 

Songs of promise, sweet and grand? 

No, your case is not uncommon — 

*Tis a popular distress; 
Though 'tis not at all contagious, 

Thousands have it, more or less: 

174 




1 




A 



CHEERFULNESS 



But it yields to simple treatment. 

And is easy, quite, to cure, 
If you follow my directions. 

Convalescence, quick, is sure. 

Take a bit -of cheerful thinking, 

Add a portion of content. 
And, with both, let glad endeavour. 

Mixed with earnestness, be blent: 
These, with care and skill compounded. 

Will produce a magic oil 
That is bound to cure, if taken 

With a lot of honest toil. 

If your heart is dull and heavy, 

If your hope is pale with doubt, j 

Try this wondrous Oil of Promise, 

For 'twill drive the evil out. 
Who will mix it? Not the druggist 

From the bottles on his shelf; 
The ingredients required 

You must find within yourself. 

J^ixon IVaterman, in Success 



Did you ever try the gospel of smiles? A 
smile is a sunbeam of the soul. It lights up the 
eye and transfigures the countenance. A frown 
is easier, but it gives no light. Open the soul- 
windows and let in the light, and keep those win- 

175 



^1 



fi : 



"% 




Ui' 



THE VALUE OF 

dows open; then let out that light in smiles. 
A smile can scatter gloom and silver-line a cloud. 
It costs little, but counts for much. Tears and 
smiles lie near together. Dry your tears and 
scatter your smiles. 

Mnon, 



He is indeed a lucky man 

Who's satisfied with God's own plan 
And through the years of life's brief span 

Takes things as easy as he can. 

If he*s in Maine or Hindustan, 

In raiment fine or cardigan. 
He sifts the wheat from out the bran 

And takes things easy as he can. 

J. H. MiUiken* 



One of the secrets of happiness is found in the 
habitual emphasis of pleasant things and the per- 
sistent casting aside of all malign elements. For 
men make their own world. We have read of a 
horticulturist who could not walk through a 
flower-garden and see a rosebush covered with 
blossoms without searching until he found at 
least one blighted leaf. There are men who can- 
not look upon a great picture without scrutiniz- 
ing every inch of the canvas for some light or 
176 



»~» 




CHEERFULNESS 

shade to criticize, and afterward they recall only 
the blemish. But there never was a tree so 
beautiful that it did not have one broken bough. 
There never was a book so wise but that it had 
one untruth or falsehood. Even Helen's brow 
held one little blemish, and the scientists think 
that there is a spot on the sun. 

What if a father should send his child into a 
garden, where every flower bloomed, to bring 
back roses and lilies and violets. And what if the 
boy overlooked all the sweet blossoms and 
peered around the roots until he found some 
weeds, wild grass and a toadstool. There are men 
who go forth in the morning and give all that is v<- 
best in life and thought to their competitors in 
business. Returning home at night, they do not 
bring some incident that represents wit or hero- 
ism or justice or generosity; they return jaded, 
fretful, querulous, critical. They remember only 
the disagreeable things. 

Passing a pasture but yesterday, one saw the 
horse with mane and tail a solid mass of cockle- 
burs, collected in passing through the meadow, 
and, grasping the forelock, the farmer's boy's 
hand must have been pierced with a thousand 
blood pricks. Strange example of men, who go 
through the days to return home at night, laden 
with mental burs and moral thistles. They have 
used memory as a kind of bag in which they 
have collected sticks, toads, bugs and spid^s, 




V 




.-H 




THE VALUE OF 

that stand for human frailty and sin. What a 
misrepresentation of God's world! What skill in 
selecting malign elements! Surely an enemy hath 
wrought this injury and lent this black colour 
to the universe. This is God's world, and man is 
saved by hope. 

Dr. Hitlis, 
•^ ^ j^ 

Some skies may be gloomy, 

Some moments be sad. 
But everywhere, always. 

Some souls must be glad; 
For true is the saying 

Proclaimed by the seer — 
"Each day is the best day 

Of somebody's year!" 

Priscilta Leonard, 
j^ ^ J^ 

If I knew you and you knew me — 
If both of us could clearly see. 
And with an inner sight divine 
The meaning of your heart and mine, 
I'm sure that we would differ less 
And clasp our hands in friendliness: 
Our thoughts would pleasantly agree 
If I knew you and you knew me. 

If I knew you and you knew me. 
As each one knows his own self, we 

178 



-WvN 



CHEERFULNESS 

Could look each other in the face 

And see therein a truer grace. 

Life has so many hidden woes, 

So many thorns for every rose; 

The " why " of things our hearts would see 

If I knew you and you knew me. 

Mijeon Waterman, 

^^ J^ J0^ 

The day returns and brings us the petty round 
of irritating concerns and duties. Help us to 
play the man, help us to perform them with 
laughter and kind faces; let cheerfulness abound 
with industry. Give us to go blithely on our 
business all this day, bring us to our resting beds; 
weary and content and undishonoured, and 
grant us in the end the gift of sleep. 

Robert Louis Stevenson* 



I have found already some of the " sweet uses " 

that belong only to what is called trouble, which 

is, after all, only a deepened gaze into life. 

George Eliot, 
^ <^ i^ 

A laugh is just like sunshine. 

It freshens all the day, 
It tips the peak of life with light 

And drives the clouds away; 
179 



b.; 



THE VALUE OF 

The soul grows glad that hears it 
And feels its courage strong; 

A laugh is just like sunshine. 
For cheering folks along. 

A laugh is just like music, 

It lingers in the heart. 
And where its melody is heard, 

The ills of life depart; 
And happy thoughts come crowding 

Its joyful notes to greet; 
A laugh is just like music 

For making living sweet. 

Mnon. 



Lord, since I have not wealth's increase 

To make my diadem, 
Take thou the little gifts of peace 

And weave it out of them. ^ s^ 



m^ 



he little chirping praise of birds 
That wakes me day by day. 
The little laughing, friendly words 
That help me on my way. 



The little tasks thou givest me 

\In sun and breeze and shower, 
he little gifts of love I see 
Appointed hour by hour, 

i8o 




ASMM^ 



CHEERFULNESS 



The little self-denials dear 
In love and hope divine, 

The triumphs over faithless fear 
Known to no eyes but thine — 



Weave them together, one by one, 
By thy dear touch made sweet, 

And daily, when the crown is done, 
I'll cast it at thy feet. 

Mabel Earle. 



ff 



" My dearest of mothers." I heard the words 
repeated in soft tones by my next-door neigh- 
bour at an island farmhouse where we were 
sojourning, " My dearest of mothers." My 
friend was a widow, and her son, an affection- 
ate, talented fellow, was an engineer in Idaho. 
In one of his late letters he had said at the close, 
" And now, my dearest of mothers, good-bye." 
Did he guess, I wonder, how the little petting 
phrase would please the heart that loved him 
so? Did he think that she would say it over 
softly to herself as she sat alone in her room? 

The home days were over. The babies, with 
their sweet ways, their joy-giving and their 
trouble-making, had grown to noisy boys, then to 
self-asserting men; they were out in the world 
making their way; brains busy, thoughts ab- 
sorbed, hearts full; yet here was one who remem- 
i8i 



i^ 



-^""'^yfi, 



^^ 




A 




:% ii 




THE VALUE OF 

bered the mother, still in middle life, loving and 
needing love the same as when her boys were 
her very own in the dear child's home. He 
wrote her long letters, describing his adventurous, 
changeable life; the strange companions by 
whom he was surrounded; the wondrous scenery 
of the wild Western world. It was all intensely 
enjoyed; but better than all were the love- 
phrases that showed the son's affectionate heart, 
I wonder if the " boys " know how dear they are 
to their mothers, and how a little attention, little 
gifts, tender words, flying visits, cheer and warm 
the hearts that have borne the test of years and 
sorrows. 

Life is a little chilly to the mothers whose 
homes are things of the past. Even if they 
remain in the old home, the rooms seem very bare 
and silent after the children are gone. It is as 
if summer had flown, with its nests and bird- 
songs, and autumn winds were blowing. Then 
the love of the sons and daughters is like 
sunshine or warm fires to the hearts that sadly 
miss them. Let us hope there are many sons 
who write, "My dearest of mothers." 

Jlnon, 



Labour to know that heaven is thy own happi- 
ness. We may confess heaven to be the best 
condition, though we despair of enjoying it; and 

182 



CHEERFULNESS 

we may desire and seek it, if we see the attainment 
but probable; but we can never delightfully re- 
joice in it, till we are in some measure persuaded 
of our title to it. What comfort is it to a man 
that is naked, to see the rich attire of others? 
What delight is it for a man that hath not a 
house to put his head in, to see the sumptuous 
buildings of others? 

Ilichard Baxter. 
J^ £^ J^ 

Dare to look up to God and say: Deal with 

me henceforth as thou wilt; I am of one mind 

with thee; I am thine. I reject nothing that 

seems good to thee; lead me whithersoever thou 

wilt. Clothe me in what dress thou wilt. Wilt 

thou have me govern, or live privately, or stay 

at home, or go into exile, or be a poor man, or a 

rich? For all these conditions I will be thy 

advocate among men. 

Epictetus. 
^£^ £^ ^ 

Home-life is the source of exquisite blessing. 
There is nothing more attractive, refining and up- 
lifting than its simple joys and fireside pleasures. 
The world has pleasures gay and bright; but 
nothing exceeds the joy of home, the bliss of 
our own fireside. It is a place of gladness when 
burns the firelight bright. We cross its door-sill 
and enter its threshold to find the garden of para- 
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Am 

THE VALUE OF 

disc. We cannot be indiiferent to the sweet at- 
tractions, simple pleasures, pleasant conversation 
and sweet songs of its happy circle. None are 
more bright, more pure and none more like the 
love of highest heaven. It is more like heaven 
than any spot on earth. Some one has said: 
" It is a special creation of Christianity." There 
is no other spot on earth so dear. How men 
long for its quiet and repose! "I long to see 
home," feels the sailor lad, as he climbs the 
mast amid the storm on the ocean wave. *' I am 
going home," says the business man, as he bars 
the doors and shuts the blinds after a day of 
vexatious cares. "Home!" shouts the school- 
boy when the day's studies are over. " I must 
hurry home," feels the fond mother as she passes 
along the crowded street, thinking of the little 
ones who need her watchful care. 

'Tis sweet to hear the watch-dog's honest bark, 
Bay deep-mouthed welcoi^e ,as we draw near 
home; S^A 

'Tis sweet to know there is ah eye will mark 
Our coming and look brighter when we come. 

Jt. C. Welch, 



Some folks they keep huntin' for sorrow; ^^^ 

They sigh if they're right or they're wrong; 
But this day's as good as to-morrow. 



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So I jest keep a livin' along. 





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/r" 





CHEERFULNESS 

I jest keep a-livin' along. 
I jest keep a-singin' a song 

There's no use to sigh 

While the sun's in the sky 
So I jest keep a-livin' along 

When the Lord made the world, was I 
To give him directions? He knowed 

I wouldn't know how to begin it, 

Bein' nothin' but dust by the road. 

li 

So I jest keep a-livin' along, ^m 

And I can't say the Lord's work is wrong; 

I never will sigh 

While he's runnin' the sky; 
I jest keep a-livin' along. 



I'm thankful for sun and for showers: 
The Lord makes the winter an' May; 

And he'd hide all the graves with his flowers 
If folks didn't weed 'em away! 



So I jest keep a-livin' along. 
Still thankful for sunlight and song; 

I know when it's snowin', 

God's roses are growin', 
So I jest keep a-livin' along! 



Frank L. Stanton, 





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THE VALUE OF 

Affection is the only remedy for diseased souls 
and evil characters. How many souls have died 
in impenitence who would have been saints had 
they encountered in their path a soul who pitied 
them, who loved them and had simply told them 
so! 

Into all our lives, in many simple, familiar, 
homely ways, God infuses the element of joy 
from the surprises of life, which unexpectedly 
brighten our days and fill our eyes with light — 
and it may be with a tear — as our heart is 
touched with the thought of his unlooked-for 
goodness. 

Samuel Longfellow, 

j^ 4^ je^ 

Now thank we all our God 

With heart and hands and voices, 
Who wondrous things hath done, 
In whom this world rejoices. 

Who from our mother's arms 
Hath blessed us on our way. 
With countless gifts of love. 
And still is ours to-day. 

Martin Rinkart (.1586 = 1649). 



The women who are most loved are not by any 
means the most beautiful; but they have that 
indescribable something that, for lack of a better 
1 86 




CHEERFULNESS 

term, we call personal charm. Their natural and 
gracious manner, their thoughtfulness for others, 
the blended good sense and wit of their conversa- 
tion and, above all, their mysterious power of 
sympathy, draw the hearts of friends to them 
as the moon attracts the waters. It is strange 
how you are often thoroughly disillusioned the 
moment a woman opens her mouth. You think 
to yourself as you notice the classic contour of 
face, what a charming personality she must be! 
But the lines about her mouth as she begins 
to speak, her choice of words, her hard and 
rasping tone, lead to an instant revision of the 
opinion. Again, have you not often found that 
a rather plain and unattractive face has been lit 
up in conversation with an inner light, that the 
liquid tones of a well-modulated voice have 
stolen into your heart, and that delicacy of in- 
sight has captured your imagination? Beauty of 
spirit has more than made up for the lack of 
physical attractiveness. And there are no ac- 
complishments of music, art or languages that 
are quite so winsome as sanity, efficiency and 
sympathy. 

Mnon. 



The opportuni'^y of saintliness comes into our 
special way of life, whatever it may be. All the 
power which was in the spiritual heroes of the 

187 



THE VALUE OF 




elder time, all the purity which was in the virgin 
saints, all the faith which was witnessed by the 
great army of martyrs and confessors — these 
all wait to be incarnated anew in the honesty 
of your work, in the stainlessness of your 
thought, in the courage of your truth, in the 
steadfastness of your trust, in the sweetness of 
your charity. 



I 



Henry Wilder Foote, 



Do the duty which lies next to you. 

Live in the sunlight and help others but of the 
shadows. 

Have a great deal of hope in the heart and wear 
a radiant face. 

^' Reach out a hand of helpfulness to the stum- 
bling ones and speak a word of cheer to the dis- 
couraged. 



^fion. 



J/' 



Nothing contributes more to the highest success 
than the formation of the habit of enjoying things. 
Whatever your calling in life may be, whatever 
misfortunes or hardships may come to you, make 
up your mind resolutely that, come what may, 
you will get the most possible real enjoyment out 
of every day; that you will increase your capacity 
for enjoying life by trying to find the sunny side 
i88 




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CHEERFULNESS 



of every experience of the day. Resolutely deter- 
mine that you will see the humourous side of 
things. No matter how hard or unyielding your 
environment may seem to be, there is a sunny side 
if you can only see it. The mirth-provoking 
faculty, even under trying circumstances, is worth 
more to a young man or woman starting out in 
life than a fortune without it. Make up your 
mind that you will be an optimist, that there shall 
be nothing of the pessimist about you, that you 
will carry your own sunshine wherever you go. 

There is longevity in the sunny soul that eases 
our jolts and makes our sides shake with laughter. 

There is a wonderful medicinal effect in good 
cheer. Good news and glad tidings have a magic 
effect even upon invalids. 

We often see a whole store or factory or home 
transformed by one sunny soul. On the other 
hand, we have seen them blighted and made dark 
by a gloomy, morose, fault-finding 




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ling person. .n j.i It 




When thou seest misery in thy brother's face, 
let him see mercy in thy eye; the more the oil of 
mercy is poured on him by thy pity, the more oil 
in thy cruse shall be increased by thy pity. Take f /I 
no pleasure in the death of a creature; if it be ' 
harmless or useful, destroy it not; if useless or 
harmful, destroy it mercifully. He that merci-|/| // ji jji 




189 




THE VALUE OF 

fully made his creatures for thy sake, expects thy 
mercy upon them for his sake. Mercy turns her 
back to the unmerciful. 

Quarles, 
J^ J^ jE^ 

A THANKSGIVING 

I thank thee, Lord, for cloudy weather. 

We soon would tire of blue; 
I thank thee, Lord, for Pain, our brother. 

Whose rude care holds us true. 

I thank thee for the weary morrow 
That makes the Past more sweet; 

I thank thee for our sister. Sorrow, 
Who leads us to thy feet. 

Frederic Lawrence t^nowles, 
^ ^ 4& 

Some earnest young Christians make a mis- 
take in putting too light a value upon those graces 
of manner and little courtesies of speech and con- 
duct that might commend their excellent quali- 
ties to others and give them the vantage-ground 
of personal influence. If a merchant has diamonds 
to sell he does not shut them up in a drawer nor 
display them in a rough box. He does not say: 
" Nothing can add to the value of a diamond and 
I will not condescend to any tricks to catch ad- 
miration or draw customers. If a man really 
wishes to buy, he will come to me." 
190 



CHEERFULNESS 

What he does is to put his jewels upon beds of 
satin, in cases of velvet, using every art to display 
their beauty. He knows very well that people 
who have never thought seriously of buying may 
be attracted by the beauty that catches the eye 
and arrests the attention. 

Your Christian principles ought to be rendered 
so attractive by your personality that those who 
know you will associate goodness with gracious- 
ness. 

Neatness and taste in dress, careful avoidance 
of all rude and disagreeable habits, conformity to 
the customs of good society — these are by no 
means trifles to be ignored by those who claim 
to belong to the highest court of honour. You 
do not properly represent your Sovereign unless 
you are not only a patriot but a gentleman. 

The great majority of those with whom we 
come in contact must judge us by externals; and 
if we covet that most precious power of influence, 
we must see to it that we do not so repel them 
by the prickly outside that they will never care 
to go deeper. We are, indeed, to think upon the 
things that are true and pure, but not less upon 
those that are lovely and of good report. 

Emily Huntington Miller. 



Finish every day and be done with it. You 
have done what you could; some blunders and 
191 



SKIP 



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THE VALUE OF 



absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you 
can. To-morrow is a new day; you shall begin 
it well and serenely, and with too high a spirit 
to be encumbered with your old nonsense. 

Emerson, 



God bends out from the deep, and says: 

"I gave thee the great gift of life; 
Wast thou not called in many ways? 

Are not my earth and heaven at strife? 
I gave thee of my seed to sow; 

Bringest thou me my hundredfold?" 
Can I look up with face aglow. 

And answer: "Father, here is gold?" 

James liussell Lowell* 



Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul. 

As the swift seasons roll! 
Leave thy low-vaulted past. 

Let each new temple, nobler than the last, 
> Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, 

^ " Till thou at length art free, 

Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting 

tsea. 
^L Holmes, 

V 




j& 



Blessings on the man who smiles! Not the 
man who smiles for effect, nor the one who smiles 



[92 



^A 



^^ 



^ 




CHEERFULNESS 




when the world smiles, but the man whose smile 
is born of an inner radiance, the man who smiles 
when the clouds lower, when fortune frowns, 
when the tides are adverse, the sunshine of 
whose heart breaks forth in smiles. Such a man 
not only creates his own fair world, but he mul- 
tiplies himself an hundredfold in the courage and 
strength and joy of other men. 

Rev. George L. Perin, D. D. 



THE SEA OF FAITH 



Have you lifted anchor and hoisted sail? 

Does your ship stand out to sea? 
Have you scoffed at peril and dared the gale 

Where the waves and the winds are free? 



J^\ 



H' 



Is safety a thought that you count disgrace 

When duty or danger call? 
Would you stand on the deck with a smile on 
your face. 

And perish the first of all? 



Is your old sail salt with the frozen foam, 
And gray as a sea-gull's wing? 

Do you never long for land and home 
When the great waves clutch and cling? 



I^c-**^- 





441 




THE VALUE OF CHEERFULNESS 

O, the Sea of Faith hath storms, God knows; 

And the haven is very far, 
But he is my brother-in-blood who goes 

With his eye on the polar star, 

With his hand on the canvas, his foot on the 
ropes, 

His heart beating loud in his breast. 
With deathless courage and quenchless hopes 

And the old divine unrest! 

The swift keels chafe in the Harbour of Doubt; 

They were built for the glorious blue, 
Where the stout masts bend and the sailors shout. 

And the wave-drench'd compass is true! 

Then here's my hand, O lad of my heart, 

O dauntless spirit and free! 
The tide is high! They strain, they start! 

The ships of the infinite sea! 

Frederic Lawrence ICnotvles. 



THE END. 



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